Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers
by Teutonic Knight 92
Summary: When Commander Kathryn "Kara" Shepard an N7 Commando is thrown into the middle of a conflict against a ruthless Turian Spectre it will challenge her to her breaking point and threaten everything everyone thought they knew about the galaxy.
1. Prologue: The Candidate

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Prologue: The Candidate

Located in the system of the same name, Arcturus Station was the artificial capital of the human-comprised Systems Alliance – the super-national government which represented mankind as a species before the rest of the galaxy. Inside the Admiralty building on the Station, three men sat around a large mahogany table, carefully engaged in conversation on a matter of the utmost importance.

Ambassador Udina - the man who represented humanity before the Citadel Council - flipped through the contents of a file chosen from a stack of over a hundred potential candidates. "What about her?" the grey haired man said, handing the dossier over to the man wearing the Admiral uniform. "She's a spacer, spent most of her life traveling on ships."

Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett, the commander of the Alliance's prestigious Fifth Fleet, took the dossier. He read it carefully before turning to the final man in the room, former N7 Special Forces Operator Captain David Anderson. "Well David," the Admiral grumbled, "she's one of yours. What can you tell us about her?"

Anderson leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I know both her parents were in the service. Her father was a Marine Major who bought it in the First Contact War on Shanxi. Her mother..." he paused, concentrating. "Her mother is still with us, and is the XO on the _Kilimanjaro_… I think."

"Can she work with Turians after they killed her father?" Udina questioned; everyone at the table knew that anyone who couldn't work with aliens wouldn't be a feasible candidate.

"She's a professional," Anderson said coming to her defense. "She won't let her feelings get in the way."

"She got most of her unit killed on Torfan," Hackett responded, raising his eyebrow and playing devil's advocate.

"She accomplished her mission and took out that terrorist base," Anderson replied carefully. "She knew it had to be taken out, whatever the cost."

"Is that the kind of person we want defending the galaxy?" Udina said harshly, looking between the two Navy men. "We screw this up again, we can say goodbye to ever getting a human into the Spectres."

Anderson looked at the Admiral for a moment before the older officer nodded. "Ambassador, I think that's the only kind of person that can protect the galaxy."

Udina took several long minutes reading through the file again. "Very well. Where is she now?"

"She's the commander of the special operations detachment on the _George Washington_," Hackett replied. "It's a carrier currently on maneuvers on the borders of the Terminus systems."

"Then you'd better get her back," Udina scowled as he stood up to leave, tossing the dossier onto the table. When it hit the wood table the cover of the folder opened, revealing the first page of the file. There was a picture of a blonde haired, green eyed woman with attractive features. The page read:

_Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Shepard_

_Service no: 5923-AC-2826_

_DOB: April 11, 2154_

_Place of Birth: Ramstein Naval Base, Germany_

_Nationality: American_

_Branch: System Alliance Navy_

_Specialization: N7 Special Forces Operator _

_Marital Status: Single, married once._

Hackett reached out, collected the file, and placed it back on the stack, "Let's hope this woman is as good as her file has suggested."

"Shepard won't fail humanity, sir," Anderson said, staring the Admiral hard in the eye. "She doesn't know how to fail."

**Beta done by **_**Thorn of the Dead Gods**_


	2. Chapter 1: Spectres and Geth

**Authors note: I'm taking some liberties with the gameplay elements so they'll fit better into a story I like. Also I have no problem with the Marine Corps, even though I'm Army, so don't get pissy. Also with Shepard in the game he/she says they're a marine, but Shepard's rank is a navy one and he/she ends up commanding a ship. So my Shepard is Navy, which again as an army guy is… uhh, hateful.**

**And to TheDesertMan No not the band Ramstein as in what is currently a US Air Force base in Germany.**

**Warning: Foul language**

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 1: Spectres and Geth

The SSV _Normandy _- the most recent ship to leave the Earth Space Dock, and the first of a new breed of stealth ships - ran silently and, more importantly, coldly through the vacuum of space. In a galaxy where the most reliable form of outer-atmospheric sensors where thermal sensors, the ability of the _Normandy_ to diffuse the heat its engines and drive core produced made it almost invisible-and therefore invaluable.

From her position mid-ship, Lieutenant Commander Kathryn "Kara" Shepard, the so-called Butcher of Torfan, watched as the blue-green orb of Earth grew steadily smaller. Not for the first time she angrily wondered what the hell she was doing here. Two weeks ago the _George Washington_ and her task force had put into port and the next thing she knew, there were two MPs waiting to take her all the way back to Earth. There was no explanation or reason why they were taking her away from her Special operations post and her men. There was just a gruff, "Come with us ma'am." That was it!

On the way back to Earth, she wondered if the Alliance brass had some Black Op planned that they wanted her to command, but she quickly dismissed that thought for one simple reason: on her previous black op missions they brought her entire team with her. This time, they reassigned only her to the _Normandy_, which was on a goddamn shakedown cruise.

Or at least, that's what they told her anyway. Shepard didn't buy it for an instant. She'd read enough government bullshit to know a cover story when she saw it. Also, the fact that the _Normandy_ was being commanded by Captain David Anderson - an N7 legend - and add to that the fact that a Council Spectre was present... it didn't really help to sell the story. Hell, from what she'd been hearing even the crew didn't believe the bull they were being fed.

The problem was, she couldn't figure out for the life of her what is was they were supposed to be doing that could involve an N7 legend, a Spectre, a stealth ship and a crew comprised mainly of people who were only a step above being FNGs.

"_Nearing Charon Relay, initiating transmission sequence_," Shepard heard the _Normandy_'s helmsman, Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau call out. Shepard ground her teeth in frustration. That was another problem she had with this ship… a damn cripple flew the damn thing. While she didn't have a problem with the disabled, she had a problem when a man whose bones she could break by tapping him too hard on the back was flying the most advanced ship in the fleet and therefore, responsible for their lives. She had had a barely civilized argument with the captain about it, but in the end he pulled rank on her.

Tearing her gaze away from the window, Shepard made her way from her quarters up to the CIC. Regulations stated that when a ship went through a relay, the captain or the executive officer had to be present on the bridge. With Anderson off doing whatever he did, that left her to babysit the CIC.

"_Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector_," Joker said calmly over the comm. "_All stations secure for transit,_" he continued, and now Shepard was close enough to hear his voice aloud instead of over the speaker. "The board is green. Approach run has begun."

As the commander approached the cockpit she felt her lip twitch as she saw the Council Spectre Nihlus Kryik standing with his taloned hands clasped behind his back. The pair briefly made eye contact, like two apex predators calmly evaluating one another, but nothing was said as Joker counted down the time until the _Normandy_ jumped.

Shepard reached out with her left hand and steadied herself on the console in front of her. No matter how many times she went through the transit she would never get used to it. The jump clock hit zero and the Normandy was propelled instantaneously to another relay light-years away. Shepard formed her free hand in a fist and brought it to her mouth as she gagged slightly; relay travel always made her nauseous.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the man in the copilot's seat chuckle slightly at her discomfort. Shepard scowled, "Something funny, Lieutenant Alenko?" she snapped crossing her arms.

"No ma'am," the First Lieutenant said, paling, as he suddenly realized he just laughed at a superior and an N7 to boot. The N7s had a grizzly reputation among the service for being cold hearted bastards; they had to be to survive what they did.

Joker, however, seemed to live up to his name and diffused the tension by rattling off the check list regarding engine temperature and the stealth systems, and remarking that they had arrived within fifteen hundred kilometers.

"Fifteen hundred is good," the Spectre said with a nod of his head, "I'll inform your captain."

Shepard watched the Spectre go before turning back just as Shepard heard Joker say, "Man I hate that guy."

"You hate him?" Lt Alenko questioned. "The man just gave you compliment … and for that you hate him?"

With the type-A personality that all ace-pilots had, Joker gave Alenko a hurt look and said, "Remember to zip your jump suit on the way out of the bathroom… that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, that's fantastic. Besides," he grumbled, "I just don't like Spectres. They're nothing but trouble."

The commander let a small smile touch her lips. She had to agree with him on that one. The Council's pretentious, pompous, primadonna goon squad was right above the Batarians on her list of people she hated. It wasn't that she had any moral qualms about the way they got their missions done; in fact, she had the sort of professional respect for them that only a fellow Spec ops could, but... she still hated their guts.

She and her N7 team had been on a Black Bag Op in the Terminus, with orders to capture a Batarian Warlord who helped mastermind the Skyllian Blitz. The op was, of course, completely extra-judicial, but the Alliance Prime Minister wanted to make it clear you couldn't fuck with the human race and get away scot-free.

It had taken Shepard and her team months of hard intelligence work, operating outside Alliance channels and in plain clothes with no official support, to locate and ready the extraction. The N7 team did what they were created to do - the completely absurd - in a brutal if not somewhat elegant snatch and grab, taking the warlord right in the middle of some grand party.

As they were high-tailing it to the evac point, an Asari Spectre - one that apparently didn't care that they were technically on the same team - and her hired Eclipse lackeys got the drop on them. With two of her squadmates dead and her femur shattered Shepard had been forced to watch as the Asari bitch dragged her prisoner off, leaving her to die. She would have bled out on the backwater Terminus world if the rest of her team hadn't shown up before the Batarians and rescued her.

That was why she didn't like the agents of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch. Shepard and other N7s may have broken laws to accomplish their objectives, but they did so knowing that if they were caught they'd spend the rest of their life in Fort Leavenworth Military Penitentiary awaiting execution. Spectres, on the other hand, could do whatever they damn well pleased as long as it was in some way related to serving the Council. Shepard had the innate American distrust of anything that was or claimed to be above the law.

Lt. Alenko had to argue, "You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project; they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

Raising an eyebrow at his naivete she countered, "You don't send a Spectre to watch over a ship's shakedown cruise. You send an egghead or a scientist. Lieutenant Moreau is right… shit's about to hit the fan."

"Yeah Alenko," Joker said, sounding somewhat surprised that the hard-ass N7 was agreeing with him, "that's the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"_Joker_," Captain Anderson voice echoed over the comm, "_status report!_"

"Just cleared the mass relay," Joker reported. "Stealth system engaged; everything looks solid."

"_Very good Lieutenant. Find a comm buoy and link us up to the network. I want mission reports relayed back to the Alliance Brass before we reach Eden Prime_," he ordered.

"Aye, aye Captain. Better brace yourself, sir… I think Nihlus is headed your way," Joker said with a smile on his face.

However, the smile quickly fell from his face when Anderson said sounding somewhat annoyed, "_He's already here, Lieutenant_. _Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing_."

Shepard glowered at the man. "Great," she drawled. "You pissed him off and now I have to deal with him." She turned and left the cockpit.

Walking down the gangplank back to the CIC Shepard passed numerous crewman, including the navigator Lt. Pressly, an old mustang who got a battlefield commission in the Blitz; Doctor Chakwas, who was reputed to be the best doc in the fleet; and a young marine PFC, private first-class, who she thought was called Jenkins.

Coming to the comm room door Shepard reached out and punched her command code into the pad. The door slid open and Shepard walked in. The interior of the comm room was a large round room with eight chairs spread out, four to each side and the long range comm station at the far back. However the first thing Shepard noted was that Anderson was not in the room; it was just her and the Spectre.

"Commander Shepard," the dark plated Turian with white facial markings said slowly, crossing his arms over his armored chest, "I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

Shepard crossed her own arms over her chest. The Turian wore his armor and weapons openly; Shepard on the other hand, following Alliance regs that stated only shipboard security personnel should be armed, was simply wearing her standard Alliance fatigues. "'Bout what?"

"I want to know more about this colony we're going to… this Eden Prime. I've heard its quite beautiful," the Spectre said pacing.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. What was he up to, she wondered, "Never been there myself. You should get a travel agent if you want to take a vacation," she said dryly.

"It's more than that," the Spectre countered, "it's something of a symbol for your people, isn't it? It's proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but protect them as well. But, how safe is it… really?" he said bringing his face with a few inches of hers.

Glaring back at him, Shepard growled, clenching her fists at her sides. "Is that a threat, Spectre?"

The battle of wills went on for several seconds until Nihlus took a step back looking pleased with her, "You got a quad, Shepard, but humans are still newcomers. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is your Alliance truly ready for this?"

Before Shepard could shoot back her scathing remark Anderson interrupted her, "I think it's time to tell the commander what's really going on."

Nihlus nodded, "This isn't a shakedown cruise."

It took nearly all the military discipline she had not to role her eyes. "I would have never figured that out… thank you so much," she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"Sarcasm isn't necessary commander," Anderson said in reproach. "We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the _Normandy_ and her stealth capabilities."

That still didn't explain why she was here but for the moment Shepard was far more interested in what they were picking up. "What's the cargo, sir?"

"A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation," he paused before delivering the punch line. "It was Prothean."

That got her attention. The Protheans were the extinct creators of both the Citadel and the mass relays that nearly all technology in the galaxy was based off. This was big. The last discovery of Prothean technology humanity made catapulted them forward over a hundred years, tech-wise. "Our orders?"

"To take the beacon back to the Citadel," Anderson said. "Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to properly deal with this."

"That explains the Spectre," Shepard grumbled underneath her breath. Of course the Council wouldn't want to let something this precious get away from them, so they sent one of their glorified hounds to fetch.

"Obviously the Council has taken an interest in this discovery," Nihlus spoke confirming her suspicions. "This doesn't just affect humanity; it could have an impact on every species living in Council Space."

"Why did we tell the Council?" she asked still looking at Nihlus even though her question was directed to Anderson.

"Sharing the beacon will help improve relations between humanity and the Council. Besides," he sighed, "we don't have the technical experience to take full advantage of the beacon."

"You humans don't have the best reputations," the Turian Spectre spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable and dependent and even dangerous. Turning the beacon over could help humanity's standing."

"Why do you care, Turian?" Shepard asked the pointed question. Humans and Turians weren't the best of friends. A lot of people on both sides still hated the other's guts for the First Contact War.

"I see humanity's potential Shepard," he paused, before admitting, "and that's not the only reason I'm here."

Looking at Anderson the Captain explained, "He's here to evaluate you, Shepard. The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time," he said, to her growing horror. "Humanity wants more say in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks then it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"On Torfan you demonstrated willingness to do whatever it took to complete your objectives," Nihlus said, sounding impressed. "That's an important quality for a Spectre to possess. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Shepard felt her mouth fall open of its own accord. Finally she regained her wits and laughed, "You gotta be fucking kidding me."

Nihlus laughed slightly, "I know the problem you have with the Spectres, but we need you Shepard."

"Think of what this would mean to humanity, Shepard," Anderson said, taking a step forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You were selected out of over a hundred potential candidates. Alliance Intelligence operatives, Special Air Service, Naval Commandos, Marine Force Recon and your fellow N7s. Out of all of those you were picked. We need this, Shepard."

That was a low fucking blow and Anderson knew it. "What do I need to do?" she ground out.

"I need to follow you," Nihlus said stepping forward as Anderson took a step back. "Evaluate your skills. This mission to Eden Prime will be only the first of several we go on together."

"For Eden Prime you'll be in command of the ground team. Nihlus will accompany and observe," Anderson said.

She didn't like this one damn bit, but she'd been in the Military her entire adult life, ever since she went to Britannia Royal Naval College - the Alliance's premier Naval Academy. She was used to following orders, even if she didn't like them. Still, it didn't mean she had to bend over either. "Permission to speak freely, sir," she said, coming to attention.

Anderson frowned, "Granted."

"Fuck you," she spat, enjoying the flash of anger that flashed over his face, "but I'll do it."

To her immense surprise Nihlus actually chuckled. Anderson frowned, "Eden Prime is only a short way-" he started but was cut off when Joker's voice cut through the air.

"_Captain we've got a problem_."

"What is it, Joker?" Anderson barked back.

"_Emergency transmission from Eden Prime… you're not gonna believe this_."

"Bring it up onscreen," he ordered.

As if this day couldn't get any worse. Shepard growled internally as images started to appear on the holographic screen.

The screen was shaking, no doubt from someone's helmet cam. The _tat-tat-tat_ of Avenger fire filled the air, as well as a higher pitch that Shepard didn't recognize. A woman in white armor with pink trim shouldered her rifle and let loose short steady bursts at some unseen foe. Suddenly she glanced in the direction of the camera and ran towards it.

"_Get down_," she shouted as she reached out with her non-firing hand and pushed the camera holder to the ground. The last image before the cameraman fell to the ground was the woman hefting her rifle and firing again.

She took a step towards the screen in an instinctive but useless desire to get a better view of what was going on. Suddenly, the camera refocused on a man with a Lt. Colonel's insignia on his chest, "_This is Colonel Manson... under attack," _the man shouted in-between bursts of static_. "Taking heavy casualties! We can't… son of… need evac. They… out of nowhere! Repeat! We need…_"

However the officer was cut off as he was struck in the back by some kind of blue light, "_Colonel's down… colonel's down_," the same woman as before shouted.

Suddenly the camera shifted again, and this time towards the sky. A red glow filled the screen as the clouds broke and something came through. It looked like a giant hand descending upon the world, reaching down to snuff out all that resisted. A shout echoed from behind the camera as its holder fell with a pained cry and the image turned to static

"_That's it Captain. After that it cuts out. I'm not picking up anything else. No comm traffic at all_," Joker said, and the worry in his tone was easily discernible.

"Status report," Anderson barked.

"_Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area_," Joker reported.

"Take us in fast and quiet Joker," he said before turning to the commander. "Gear up and get ready for a drop," he paused. "Take Alenko and Jenkins with you to secure the beacon, Commander."

"It's the best strategy," Nihlus agreed, "A small strike team can avoid attracting attention. I'll gather my equipment." He turned and left.

As Anderson turned to leave, Shepard reached out and grabbed his arm. "Sir, I don't know Alenko and Jenkins. I'm sure they're fine Marines, but I don't want to go into battle with strangers watching my six," she argued. The last thing she wanted to do was go into an unknown and clearly hazardous environment with a biotic boy scout and an FNG, "You should have let me bring my team."

"We didn't know anything like this was going to happen, Commander," Anderson said raising his eyebrow. "Now gear up and meet me in the cargo hold in ten, Lieutenant Commander," he ordered, stressing her rank.

Gritting her teeth, she ground out, "Yes sir," and spun on her heels, leaving the comm room in a storm. That was not the David Anderson she knew. He'd been flying a desk and hanging around politicians too long, and forgotten what it was like in the trenches. The man who had trained her in Hades - the nickname for the N7 training ground - was the toughest, meanest bastard this side of the Citadel. He understood that what made the N7 squad one of the deadliest units in the galaxy was its teamwork - NOT the individuals who made up the team. The N7s had proven that time and time again, and she would bet her life that her team could have taken on any Spectre in the galaxy and won… even that grade-A son of a bitch Saren Arterius himself.

Moving to her armor locker, she quickly opened it. Kneeling down, she removed her fatigue boots, the only part of her uniform that she could wear with her armor. In the locker hung the obsidian black armor made of interlocking plates of thick, ablative ceramic, with a single red stripe running down the right arm and one running over the crown of the helmet. On the right breast, emblazoned in white, was the N7 symbol.

Pulling out the boots she slid them on her feet and piece by piece began to put the rest of the armor on. In a systematic fashion that came from years of experience, Shepard dressed in her armor. Leisurely, she could put the twenty piece armor in five minutes; however, if she rushed she could get it on it two.

Placing her helmet on she checked the seals on the armor and when she found they were all green she reached back into her locker and removed her trusty M-8 Avenger. Slapping a fresh ammo cube into the bottom of the rifle, she waited until the light turned green before placing a fresh heat sink into the side.

The single cube would equate to tens of thousands of round. If she was careful about the rate of fire, the heat sink would last the entire mission as well; however, if she needed to, she could eject an overheated sink and replace it. Slinging the rifle she did the same with her sidearm, an M-6 Carnifex "Hand Cannon," before slipping it into her right thigh holster.

The moment she finished the _Normandy _shook slightly. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let the Commander know they had entered the atmosphere of Eden Prime. Doing one last quick check of her equipment, she straightened.

Satisfied that she was ready to go, Shepard headed toward the cargo hold, meeting up with Alenko and Jenkins along the way. "Ready to go, boys?" she asked dryly, not turning back to face them.

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused and Jenkins the FNG gushed, "Ma'am it's a real honor and a pleasure to serve with an N7. My instructor at basic had been an N7. His name was John Corm, did you kn-"

"Marine," Shepard shouted, exasperated, wondering how a man who was this annoying possibly survived basic training. "Shut the hell up." She was in no mood for this.

Jenkins immediately went silent, and Shepard thought she heard the clack of his teeth shut even through his helmet. Alenko didn't say anything, but through the visor of his helmet but she could tell by the look in his eyes he was thankful.

When her 'team' arrived in the cargo hold they found the captain and the Spectre waiting for them. "Shepard," Anderson called out over the roar of the wind, "your team will be the muscle on this op. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What 'bout survivors, Captain?" Alenko questioned.

"Not our job, Lieutenant," Shepard responded. "Civvies are someone else's problem. The beacon's our priority."

"The commander's right, reinforcements are on the way," he explained. "They'll take care of any survivors."

"_Approaching drop point one_," Joker's voice came over the loudspeaker.

Jenkins was looking at the Spectre with something tantamount to hero-worship, "Nihlus, you coming with us?"

The Turian merely racked his shotgun. "I move faster on my own," he said and ran forward to run off the ramp. On his back he had a mass effect pack which would slow his decent and allow him to fall from great distances.

The Alliance had the ability to produce such packs, and she had used them on numerous occasions during her days as an N7. However, newer wasn't necessarily better, and old style parachutes used in HAHO or HALO jumps were just as good.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence," Anderson ordered. "Get moving Commander."

"Aye, aye," she said walking to the edge of the ramp. She gave one last tug to make sure her rifle was secure on the front of her harness and leapt into the howling wind with Alenko and Jenkins right behind her.

Assuming the 'spread eagle,' Shepard fell through the air, carefully watching the altitude indicator. While the computer in her chute should deploy automatically when she reached a certain height, 'should' didn't always translate to 'would' and, though rare, the computer had failed before. She'd seen someone in training die that way because he didn't watch the altitude indicator; he didn't catch that the computer had failed, and he had fallen too far.

Still in all her military training this was the part she loved most of all. Free falling through the air was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Shepard resisted the urge to close her eyes and just enjoy the feeling.

Suddenly three long beeps sounded in her helmet, letting her know that the chute was about to deploy. Seconds later it did, causing her to jerk violently as the fabric caught the wind, slowing her descent. Reaching up she grabbed the lines that went up to the chute itself, and brought her legs in tight as the ground grew closer.

She hit the ground with a thump and skidded along the ground as the sail caught the wind. Pulling her KA-BAR from her combat vest she cut the lines to the sail, letting it fly away in the wind. Unbuckling her M-8 from her vest, she shouldered the weapon and did a visual scan of the area. Finding the area empty with the exception of a few floating animals, Shepard craned her neck and almost immediately found Alekno and Jenkins.

The commander watched as the two marines landed and cut their own lines. Shepard waved them over and they came, carefully moving across the ground. Alenko, in addition to his biotics, carried an Avenger rifle like her. Jenkins, who was trained as a designated marksman, carried an M97-Viper, a semi-automatic sniper rifle.

"Listen up," Shepard ordered. "I'll take point. Alenko the right, Jenkins you're on the left. Twenty meter spread and keep your eyes peeled." Bringing her omni-tool up she studied the map of the colony. "Alright, we're about five clicks due east of the dig site. We'll follow the path and that'll take us straight there," she said pointing to the position on the map. "Move out."

As the team began to move out in a standard fire-team wedge formation, Nihlus's voice crackled over the comm. "_This place got hit hard, commander. Hostiles are everywhere. Keep you guard up_."

"You can say that again," Shepard said under her breath so the helmet mic didn't pick it up. The skyline was marred by smoke from the fires that raged all around.

They followed the path for a good hundred meters until they came to a bend. Something wasn't right. Shepard dropped to her right knee. At the same time she raised her left hand in a fist to signal her team to stop. Her mind told her this wasn't a very good place for an ambush because of all the available cover, but her gut said something was up.

Thumbing the safety off her rifle she brought it up to a 'ready' position. Taking her left hand she held up two fingers and pointed at two places of good cover. Alenko and Jenkins both nodded and when Shepard raised from her cover to cover them they dashed to their positions.

Still nothing. Shepard frowned - maybe she was just being paranoid. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jenkins getting ready to move again. Damn that Marine, she'd put him there to cover the rest of them but the FNG was itching for action. She tried to signal him but he either missed it or ignored. "Fucking jarheads," she cursed under her breath as she breathed in to yell at him.

Before she could, two flying metallic objects - drones, she realized - rose up from behind a large boulder and opened up with a familiar high pitched whine and blue-white bolts. The poor kid was cut down before he could even scream, as the rounds tore through his kinetic barriers and his hardsuit with hardly any resistance. Shepard knew he was dead immediately as his lifesigns bar on her HUD flat lined.

"Go loud," Shepard shouted the unnecessary commanded as she opened up with her own rifle in short controlled bursts, sending slivers of platinum down range at a quarter of the speed of light. Two of the drones exploded under her fire and Alenko got the other.

Waiting several long seconds to make sure there weren't any hostiles left Shepard slowly rose and Alenko did the same. They advanced slowly until they came to the body. Kneeling down in front of it she allowed Alenko to check the corpse. "Tags and ammo," she said quietly without any trace of emotion, and by ammo she meant spare heat sinks.

The junior officer knelt down slowly and placed his thumb and forefinger over Jenkins eyes, and solemnly closed them. By the way he did it, Shepard had the feeling this was the first time he'd lost someone in the field. She remembered the first time a man under her command died, and it wasn't something she liked to think about. Contrary to common perception, she did care about the men and women who served under her. She remembered the names and faces of every one of the twenty-seven people she'd lost in her career in the Navy, every damn one. However, mourning would have to wait until the mission was over. "Lieutenant, come on. We don't have time."

Alenko nodded and quickly broke the seal on Jenkins armor to retrieve his tags. "Back pouch," Shepard said when she heard the slight jingle. She felt the LT fumbl with the snap of the back pouch on her combat vest before dropping the tags in. "Switch up."

"Yes ma'am," he said, bringing up his rifle to switch places with the Commander. Kneeling down next to the body, Shepard grabbed his sniper rifle and slipped the strap over her head. She threaded her right arm through so the rifle was pointed down at the ground.

Turning back to her remaining squadmate she motioned forward. "We're oscar-mike." Taking point again they moved silently, continuing along the path. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, they quickly managed to eliminate two small drone 'patrols.'

Every major player in the galaxy used combat drone for scouting and recon purposes, and Shepard as a part of her training had been forced to memorize the different styles each military used. The fact that she didn't recognize these didn't sit well with her at all.

Suddenly, the distinctive whining sound of the unknown hostiles' weapons fire sounded off in front of them, over a small hill. With a quick gesture Shepard motioned for him to follow her, and then rushed up to the top of the hill and immediately went prone.

Shepard spotted an Alliance soldier, in what she thought was an utterly ridiculous pink and white armor color scheme, being chased by two combat drones. In a flash of realization she recognized the woman from the brief distress message. "Dammit, no shot," she growled.

"Me neither, Commander," Alenko said, his voice tight.

Shifting her aim well above the soldier, she fired off a few rounds into the air. While combat drones couldn't be suppressed like flesh and blood soldiers could, they were, however, forced to recalculate their options for the new variables. That half a second was enough for the soldier to throw herself to the ground to allow Shepard and Alenko to waste them.

The woman then scrambled up and managed to run to cover behind a large boulder. "Commander, look," Alenko called out and Shepard followed his pointing to where two… things were holding a man over some kind of… something. Suddenly the something shot skyward impaling the man. "Shit, what was that?"

Could it be… she wondered. They certainly looked like it. "I think they're Geth," she started to say, but their conversation was cut short when the maybe-Geth started shooting at them. One shot came close enough to skid off her kinetic barrier at the very top over her helmet. "Damn, that was way to close," she breathed and squeezed the trigger of her assault rifle.

The first of the two synthetic creatures stuttered as her rounds tore through its barriers and riddled the thing with holes. The second didn't last much longer, out in the open and exposed as it was, and it too was shot to pieces.

"Soldier, we're coming out," Shepard shouted out.

When the soldier shouted back, "All clear," the Commander stood, her rifle pointing down at the ground, and made her way over to the other woman. The woman was sitting on her bottom with her back leaning up against her cover, with her rifle leaned up against the wall vertically next to her. Unlike Shepard and Alenko, she had her helmet open without a rebreather. "Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams," she said somewhat breathlessly. "Special Marine security detachment on loan to the 212 to secure 'command's package,'" she said, adding air quotes to the last word. "You in charge here?"

Shepard nodded and held out a hand to help the other woman up. "Lieutenant Commander Shepard, 7th Naval Special Operations Detachment, on loan to the SSV _Normandy_." She said the last part with a slight smile.

"An N7," Williams exclaimed picking up her rifle. "Man, the brass is really serious about this."

"Sound off," Shepard ordered looking up and down her hardsuit. "You wounded, gunny?"

"Nothing but a few scrapes and burns, ma'am. It takes more than a few toasters to kill me," she paused and the cheerful demeanor faded from her face. "The… the others weren't so lucky," letting loose a deep sigh, she shrugged her shoulders and started to pace. "Oh man… we were patrolling the perimeter around the dig site when the attack happened. We tried to get off a distress call but the comms got severed. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Gunny, tell me I wasn't seeing things," Shepard started, not sure whether or not she wanted to be right. "Those were Geth, right?" The only Geth she'd ever seen were in historical archives. Williams nodded an affirmative.

"That doesn't make sense," Alenko said with a shake of his head, "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years. Why would they show up now?"

"The beacon," the Commander realized. It had to be that. It was the only thing of any worth on this planet. "They're after the beacon."

"Beacon, ma'am?" the Gunnery Sergeant curiously said. "The comm beacon was destroyed when the Geth first attacked, and I don't see why the Geth would be interested in that."

"The Prothean Beacon the archaeologists discovered," she informed the Marine. "It's the package your unit was sent to secure." As she spoke she saw the light of understanding enter the gunny's eyes. "You fit to fight, Marine?"

"Hoo-rah," Williams said enthusiastically. "Locked and loaded, ma'am."

"Link up, Gunny," Shepard ordered holding out her active omni-tool. Williams nodded and activated hers, and held it close to Shepard's. The commander's HUD beeped and she glanced up to the see a new bar added to her squad monitoring system. It read GSGT Williams SAMC and next to that there was heart beat monitor which kept the squad commander apprised of their team member's vitals. They were ready to go.

XXX

Nihlus Kryik moved quickly through what used to be a farmstead on Eden Prime. "Shepard," he called out over the comm, "I've got some burned out buildings here." He raised his shotgun and carefully entered the main house, mindful of the burnt timber. Suddenly the stench of burnt meat hit his nostrils, and he slowly moved around the large table blocking his way. There were half a dozen bodies that were badly charred. "And a lot of bodies." He knelt down next to one and examined it. The skull was broken open from a gunshot wound. "Looks like some of them were killed execution style."

"_Roger that._" The Commander's clipped tones came over the comm, "_Any sign of Geth activity_?"

"Geth," he repeated dumbly, his mandibles flaring. No one had had contact with the Geth for over 200 years. "Say again, Shepard?"

"_Roger that_," she repeated with a touch of impatience in her tone. "_Any sign of Geth activity? We have made contact with Geth foot mobiles and drone air support. Jenkins is KIA, but I've picked up a Marine from the security detachment sent to protect the precious cargo_."

So there were Geth here… that was interesting. Were they after the 'precious cargo,' which was their codename for the Prothean Beacon? "Negative on any Geth sightings, Shepard. This just got a lot more interesting."

"_Try not to get killed, Nihlus_," Shepard said in what he understood to be a half-joking tone. "_It'd look bad on my record._"

The Spectre chuckled at her morbid sense of humor as he left the house, "Roger that Shepard. I'm gonna continue scouting. Nihlus out."

He was going to enjoy working with Shepard. She was just the kind of person the Spectres needed. It was in light of, not despite, her apparent distaste for the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch that made her such an important potential recruit. Too many Spectres did whatever it took to complete the mission regardless of collateral damage, and while Shepard was capable of such acts she also showed restraint that some Spectres just couldn't. Plus the fact that she capable, but didn't want the power and authority of a Spectre, meant that she was one of the few people that deserved it.

Nihlus's own mentor a Turian named Saren was one of the Council's most successful but ruthlessly brutal agents. Wherever Saren went a trail of bodies and wreckage always followed. If he was truthful Saren did more damage than was necessary by any stretch of the imagination, and only served to give the Council a bad name. The Spectres were too much of a public figure to act the way they did. He'd nearly been killed himself because of his excessive actions as a Spectre. In the hunt for a dangerous terrorist in Asari Space he'd killed an innocent bystander in a crossfire, and found himself fighting an Asari Justicar he only barely escaped from. Perhaps Shepard would be the first of a new kind of spectre.

XXX

Shepard's team moved at a decent pace towards the dig site, slowing down and spreading out as they saw the white pillars of the site. Raising her hand, she signaled her team to halt and find cover. Kneeling, she laid her M-8 up against a tree and pulled out Jenkin's Viper. Raising the rifle, she looked through the scope. "Alright," she spoke softly into the mic, "I've got four hostile enemy foot mobiles… confirm."

Alenko had the spotter's scope and after several seconds, "Four foot mobiles confirmed, Commander."

Taking several deep steady breaths she questioned, "Gunny, you ready?" as she shifted her aim between two targets, getting ready to shoot and shift as fast as she could.

"Locked and loaded, Commander," Williams said quickly.

"Alenko?"

"Ready, Commander."

Flipping the safety off she placed the cross hairs on the center of mass of the first Geth, and gently caressed the trigger with her right index finger. Taking a deep breath she squeezed the trigger, blowing a hole in the first Geth's chest. On the exhale she shifted to her next target and fired again, catching this one in the 'throat' and taking its head off. Shifting one last time, she placed the third Geth - which had raised its rifle - and shot one last time, catching it in the shoulder. This one spun to the right and Alenko or Williams, she didn't know which, took it out with a burst.

Taking cover behind the tree she called out, "You get the last one?"

"I might have clipped it but the bastards are tough," Williams shouted back, and Shepard's question was answered for sure when the Geth fired back. Unlike the first firefight where they had caught the Geth in the open, the surviving Geth here managed to get into cover and was returning fire.

"Suppression fire," Shepard commanded. "Get him pinned down and I'll flank left." Resting the Viper against the same tree, she briefly considered grabbing her rifle, but decided against it. She was going to be in CQB, close quarters combat; she drew her Hand Cannon and flipped the safety off. "Covering fire," she shouted and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of M-8 fire.

Dashing from her cover, she ran up to the wall that the Geth was using for cover. The Geth was using the right side, so she slid left and came to the section were the wall met the side of a steep incline. Placing her left boot on the incline she vaulted over the wall. The Geth apparently noticed her as it shifted its aim, but she was quicker and put three rounds in its chest.

She did a quick visual scan of the area to make sure it was clear. "All clear, move up." This certainly looked like the dig site. There was something that looked like a stone pedestal partially dug up out of the ground.

Holstering her side arm she made her way back and collected both her weapons, slinging her Viper over her shoulder again and grabbing her rifle. When she got back she found Alenko guarding the only exit, and Williams was by the pedestal.

"This is the dig site, but the package … the beacon must have been moved," she said, looking apologetic.

"By us, or them?" Alenko asked the very pointed question.

"For the moment, let's hope it's us," she paused thinking for a second. "Either way the spaceport's our best hope."

"Then we should check it out, the spaceport is not too far from here," the Gunnery Sergeant gestured out the back entrance.

"_Shepard_," Nihlus's voice crackled to life. "_Change of plans. There's a small space port up head. I want to check it out. I'll meet you there_."

"Roger that," she said, forming the team up in a wedge. They started to head up to the research camp. The first thing they noticed were the giant spikes with bodies impaled on them. That confused her more than she liked to admit. From everything she knew about the Geth, which by her own admission was not very much, it didn't make any sense for them to impale their victims. It was a very ineffective way to kill someone, and psychological warfare was something she didn't think AIs would bother with that.

"We should pull 'em down, ma'am," Williams said, softly shifting on her feet.

Shepard didn't disagree with her, but like with Jenkins they just didn't have the time. She started to open her mouth to tell her just that when she heard a metallic grinding sound, and the spikes began to lower. The corpses, or at least she thought they were corpses, began to move.

"My God," Alenko cried, "They're still alive," and he started to rush forward, but Shepard stopped him by holding her arm out.

"I don't think so," she said with a feeling of growing unease. The 'corpses' were molting, with flesh dripping off their decaying bodies. They had all kinds of metal-looking devices protruding from their skin and orifices. "Holy fuck," she whispered.

"What the hell did they do to them?" Williams exclaimed eyes wide.

The corpses… the husks wailed a horrifying moan and slowly started wobbling at them. Shouldering her rifle she fired two rounds hitting the lead husk square in the chest. The rounds made a pinging sound and the husk staggered, but didn't fall. Lowering the rifle to her hip, she flicked the firing stud from semi to auto and pulled down on the trigger for a five second hail of fire. The bullets peppered the husk and eventually it fell, riddled with holes and missing a large portion of its head.

The others, seeing her example, did the same. They hosed the entire group of husks with rounds until they all fell twitching. Slowly Shepard advanced until she was standing over one of the still twitching husks, and crushed its head with her boot. "Alright," she said turning back to Williams and Alenko, "what the fuck is going on?"

XXX

With a savage twist, Nihlus dug his combat knife out of the base of a Geth's neck and let the synthetic corpse fall to the ground. Flipping the knife around so he was holding the top of the blade, he threw it. The blade tumbled end over end through the air and embedded itself in another Geth's optical sensor.

This was bad, Nihlus thought. The Geth were perhaps the most dangerous threat that existed to the Citadel Civilizations. As a collective hive-mind of AIs, they were the most terrifying an enemy that he could image. As machines, they didn't eat or sleep, they didn't have to worry about losses as they could easily manufacture more fighting platforms, they didn't have to deal with crime or political dissent, they didn't have loved ones or civilians they left behind... they were one single entity marching off to war.

Historically, when the Turians fought they fought until their enemy was so completely destroyed that they could never threaten them or anyone else ever again. They fought in a style humans called"scorched earth," and were brutal on both the offensive and the defensive. Still, he had a feeling that war with the Geth would stretch even the Turians to the limits of their endurance.

Nihlus slipped into the space port like a ghost in the night. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of silver and ducked beneath a crate. Chambering his shotgun he spun raising his weapon. When the figure turned Nihlus felt his mandibles widen in surprise, "Saren," he called out it surprise.

The older ice-blue-eyed, silver bare-faced Turian walked towards him. "Nihlus," he stated. Saren Arterius was the longest serving Turian member of the Spectres, and a cold-blooded bastard to boot. Even though he was the Council's most successful operative he was nearly universally hated by most Turians. His actions were deemed dishonorable and underhanded to the honor-bound Turian people. In fact, Spectres in general weren't very well-liked among Turians. Even he had come to see what a zealot his own mentor was, and perhaps that was what Spectres were; people who were willing to sacrifice their own souls to keep the peace in Council Space.

"What are you doing here?" Nihlus said, confused, as he lowered his shotgun. "This isn't your mission." He wasn't upset that his old mentor was here, but it was strange nonetheless. Saren hated humanity and the last time they had spoken, they had a barely civilized shouting match when he told his old mentor that he had put a human forward as a candidate. Saren blamed them for the death of his brother in the Relay 314 Incident, and was convinced that humanity was spreading like a plague across the galaxy and needed to be stopped. Saren also looked different from the last time they met. His left arm didn't look natural and he had tubes running across his body. Nihlus decided he would ask later when they got off this planet.

"The Council thought you could use the backup," Saren said as he walked by.

A part of Nihlus was pissed that the Council would send another Spectre on his mission without his knowledge, but another part was grateful for the back up. "I didn't expect the Geth to be here. This is bad," he said.

"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Saren said, and Nihlus noted a strange quality in his voice. Nihlus was about to turn to ask what he meant when a shot echoed across the spaceport. Nihlus never felt the shot that tore through his skull and ended his life.

XXX

A shot echoed through the hills of Eden Prime. Shepard raised her fist, calling her team to halt. That wasn't a Geth weapon; the pitch was far too deep. She waited for any return fire, but didn't hear any. That was strange; then again everything happening was strange. Waving her team forward, they came out from a little valley and found themselves overlooking a storage yard which contained a maglev that would take them to the spaceport.

"What's that?" Alenko said speaking up. "Off in the distance?"

"It's a ship. Look at the size of that thing." Williams said with a slight tremor in her tone.

Shepard caught sight of the monstrous squid-like ship rising up from the ground as red lightning sparked around it, and ominous red smoke trailed behind it. That was easily the biggest ship she'd ever seen, and the fact that it had landed and now was taking off meant the mass effect core running it must be… well enormous. She winced as she imaged what something that massive could do in a straight up fight. If the Geth were capable of building those en masse then… well shit, they were fucked.

When the ship was out of sight, Shepard finally managed to draw her eyes back down to the spaceport at the base of the hill. Several Geth troopers and husks were streaming out of the storage yard. "Contact, twelve o'clock," she shouted, as she found a piece of cover and aimed down the sights of her rifle.

Putting the first husk in her sights she squeezed the trigger, sending a hail of platinum down range aiming at their legs. With tight bursts she severed the first husk's legs, before shifting aim to do the same to the second and the third. This didn't kill the husks, but it would take them out of the fight. At the same time Alenko and Williams laid down deadly fire, cutting down the charging Geth troopers.

Rising up when the firing stopped, Shepard led her team down the hill, shooting the still crawling husks in the head before continuing on. As they headed up the ramp to the storage yard, Shepard heard Alenko call out, "Commander is that…" He trailed off.

At her feet lay the cooling corpse of the Turian Spectre, a puddle of dark indigo blood pooling beneath him. Cause of death was obvious; the back of his skull was missing from what looked like a near point blank shot. "Fuck," Shepard cursed. The last thing she needed was to have to explain why one of its Spectre agents was dead.

"I take it this was the Spectre," William said, still guarding the rear.

"Yeah he wa-," she started when she heard a sound. Quicker than either Alenko or Williams could follow Shepard reached with her left hand over a large crate, grabbed him and pulled him over it. Letting the man drop to the ground she put her left boot on his throat and held him there, "Who are you?" she snarled, aiming her rifle at the cowering man's head. "Did you kill the Turian?," she questioned harshly. No doubt it'd be the height of irony if this dock worker had managed to kill a Spectre by accident.

"Nononono," the dockworker said terrified as he struggled with her boot on his neck. "Was the other one! I swear it!"

Slowly removing her boot from his neck but still holding her rifle on him she questioned, "What other one?"

"The other Turian got here first," the man said quickly. "He was waiting when your friend showed up. Called him uh…," the man paused scratching his head. "Oh Saren… yeah that was it, Saren. I… uh think they knew each other."

Shepard narrowed her eyes, "Saren Arterius… _that_ Saren, the Spectre."

"I don't know, maybe it was him," the worker said. "I think they recognized each other and when your friend turned his back Saren shot him," he finished, mimicking a gun firing towards his head with his fingers.

"Where'd Saren go after he shot Nihlus?" Shepard growled. First it was being evaluated to become a Spectre, then a Prothean beacon, the Geth had showed up after a 200 year exile, and now her would-be Spectre mentor wound up murdered by another Spectre; his old mentor no less. This was getting better and better.

"He jumped to the cargo train," the man said, pointing, "and headed over to the platform. He's probably after whatever got all the scientists hot and bothered."

She finally pointed her rifle in a different direction. "Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and stay there until the Fleet arrives," she ordered before turning to Williams and Alenko. "Let's move."

XXX

Saren walked angrily, his pistol holstered and his hand shaking at his side. He growled at the offending limb - it wouldn't stop shaking. He'd killed thousands, if not tens of thousands of men before. He'd shot them, stabbed them, killed them with his bare hands; he'd tortured and murdered all kinds of people, countless men, women… he'd even killed a few children in his time.

In his service to the Citadel Council he'd sold his soul to the proverbial devil to protect galactic peace and no kill had ever bothered him before. Killing Nihlus shouldn't have bothered him; the man was a traitor, putting a human up as a candidate for the Spectres. The very thought made him sick. But still, his spirits damned hand wouldn't stop shaking.

Catching the 'eye' of the first Geth he saw, one of the white toned shock troopers, he stopped just long enough to say, "Set the bomb. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence we were here."

Leaving the Geth behind, Saren stalked up to the Beacon. The diamond shaped tower rose up from the ground about twenty meters or so, and was covered in a green mist. He paused a second before looking up, steeling himself for what he was about to do; not only interface with the Beacon, but see what the Beacon would lead him to.

He didn't enjoy the thought of what he was doing, but it was necessary for the survival of the galactic civilization. Taking a deep breath, the Turian Spectre took a step forward. The Beacon flashed and he felt himself being drawn towards it. Taking one more step forward, he was lifted off the ground by some unseen force. Steadying his breathing, he closed his eyes before his mind was suddenly assaulted by images.

After what seemed liked years the Beacon dropped him, and he fell to his knees. Grasping his head in his three digit hand he roared, his mandibles flaring wide. The pain was incredible. Slowly he pulled one knee up and stood on shaky legs, but his left leg started to give when he found himself caught from behind.

Repositioning his legs he stood, tearing himself away, and turned on the Geth shock trooper with a ferocious growl. There was a brief burst of static as the Geth spoke. An implant in his skull took in the binary pulses of 'Geth speech' and translated them into electrical impulses that his language cortex could translate.

"I'm fine," he snarled shoving the helpful Geth away, "assist the others!"

Saren stood now, still slightly wobbly but no longer in danger of collapsing again. The first part of the plan was accomplished with minimal interference, and now he just had to escape the planet before the main human fleet arrived.

XXX

"You sure you know what you're doing Lieutenant?" Shepard shouted over the roar of Geth rifle fire. "If you're not…," she trailed off as Alenko worked to disarm the high yield thermonuclear device. Apparently Saren and the Geth - she still hadn't figured that one out - hadn't wanted to leave any evidence behind.

"Don't worry I've got it," Alenko said as he carefully pulled the panel off the device, revealing the bomb's internal workings. "Hopefully."

Popping up, Shepard let loose several burst sending two Geth to the ground before ducking back in cover. "Hopefully?" she questioned, her eyes wide. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Before the op she'd read Alenko's jacket and learned he was qualified as a demo specialist. However, whatever his jacket said, it didn't compare to having demo men you knew and trusted handling the job.

"Hey Commander," Williams shouted as she ducked down, just as several rounds tore thought the space she just was in. "At least if he messes up we'll never know it," she laughed.

"Not helping, gunny," Alenko said briefly, glaring up at Williams before turning back to his work. "There, got it," he said, and Shepard could literally hear the relief in his voice.

"Good," Shepard said, relieved. "We can have the _Normandy_ call a NEST team to handle the bomb," she finished, rising up to fire a few bursts at the only Geth left standing. The team quickly moved forward, Wiliams and Alenko covering the flanks.

"The Beacon has to be at the back platform," Williams said, gesturing with her rifle.

Shepard nodded and they made their way down the stairs, scanning the area with their rifles as they did. "Contact, three o'clock," Alenko called and Shepard shifted that direction, firing at the several husks that were milling about. They fell quickly before the onslaught of fire as the small fire team ruthlessly took them apart.

Finally finding the Beacon Shepard was rather unimpressed. She'd been expecting something a little more… impressive than a small diamond shaped tower covered in green mist. She'd seen more impressive things in Vegas casino.

Turning back, she glanced at the scaffolding, making sure there weren't any snipers trying to draw a bead on them. When she didn't see any hostiles she let go of her rifle with her right hand, and raised the same hand to her helmet. She blinked into her HUD, opened a comlink, "Precious Cargo is secured. Repeat, Precious Cargo is secured. Request immediate evac."

"_Roger… commander_," Joker static filled voice came over the comm. "_What… your… situation commander?"_

"Jenkins is KIA. So is Nihlus," she reported tersely. "We managed to link up with a Marine from the security detachment, a Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams."

"_Alright… Commander hold put… we're coming to get you_," Joker said after a brief pause.

"Roger that Normandy, standing by," she said, turning, and found Williams waiting for her next order while Alenko stared intently at the Beacon. Unslinging her sniper she tossed it to Williams. "Gunny, go up top and cover us in case there are any of those Geth bastards still kicking."

"Aye ma'am," she said, slinging her assault rifle and brandishing the sniper rifle as she ran back up the staircase.

"Alenko," she shouted and the Lieutenant didn't respond. "Alenko!" She tried again, louder this time as she started walking towards him.

The Lieutenant was being dragged towards the Beacon, clearly against his will. "Commander," he yelled, sounding pained.

Breaking out into a full run, she grabbed him by the waist. Leaning back with all her weight, she threw the Lieutenant away from the Beacon. Digging her heels in, she tried to fight the pull the Beacon had, but no matter how hard she strained the Beacon fought back harder. Suddenly she felt her feet leave the ground and screamed as her world went black.

**Beta done by **_**Thorn of the Dead Gods**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Citadel

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 2: The Citadel

As Saren's massive, squid-like dreadnought flew through the vastness of interstellar space, the Rogue Spectre himself sat on the dreadnought's bridge with his head held in the palm of his artificial geth arm. His real hand still wouldn't stop shaking. He was furious with himself, with the geth, and with the humans. He hadn't wanted to reveal himself so early in the game. In fact, he hadn't wanted to reveal himself until it was far too late for anyone to do anything to stop him.

"We identified the ship that launched the strike team at Eden Prime," a cool cultured female voice said from behind him. "The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel."

"And the Beacon?" he growled angrily, already feeling he knew the answer.

The Asari Matriarch Benezia stood with her arms held behind her back. "Destroyed, though one of the humans may have used it."

Saren slammed his real hand down against his arm rest and roared angrily. A red haze fell over his eyes as he smashed and threw chairs and equipment. Stalking up to Benezia he grabbed her face in his hands, hands that could have crushed her head like an overripe melon. The Asari Matriarch stood calmly, not a trace of fear in her eyes or her stance. "The human must be eliminated," he said softly, before letting her go.

XXX

The first thing she was aware of was blinding pain. "Urrrghh," Lieutenant Commander Shepard groaned as she brought her hands up to her forehead. The last time she felt this wasted was after she graduated from the N7 academy and spent the entire night binge drinking with her classmates in celebration. No… scratch that. She hurt more now.

The first thing she heard was a male voice shouting, "Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think she's waking up." It took her addled brain a few seconds to recognize the voice as belonging to Lt. Alenko.

Slowly using her abdominal muscles, she pulled herself up. Pulling her legs halfway up, she rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "Not so loud Lieutenant," she groaned. Suddenly an image flashed through her mind of the enormous ship charging straight at her.

"You had us worried there, Commander," Dr. Chakwas said, consulting a datapad before setting it down on a table. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit doc," she answered truthfully, rubbing her fingers in little circles on her forehead. If it worked with hangovers, it might work here. "What happened?" she finally asked.

"We think it was the Beacon," Chakwas said, "though we don't know exactly what happened to you."

Alenko finally leaned forward from his position up against the back wall. "It's my fault, Commander. I must have triggered some kind of defensive mechanism when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way." He paused, before adding, "Thanks for that."

"Do me a favor, Lieutenant," she said, catching the man's eyes. "Stay away from glowing objects."

"Yes ma'am," Alenko said, with the kind of brittle smile that meant he didn't know if she was joking or was serious.

Shepard looked up and saw he was still there. Taking a deep breath she said, "You're dismissed." He nodded, and as he turned to leave she spoke. "Thanks for your concern, Alenko."

"You're welcome, ma'am," he said, tossing her a slight smile. As the door to the med-bay slid open it revealed Captain Anderson. He entered after exchanging brief pleasantries with Alenko.

"Give us the room," the Captain ordered, and when Chakwas and the nurse had left he turned. "How are you holding up, Shepard?" he asked, and though he was concerned for her Shepard could sense that this was far from the point of his visit.

She smiled one of her rare smiles. "Still alive and kicking." Then her smiled faded as she remembered what had happened back on the planet. "Sir, this op was FUBAR from the start," she said, shaking her head. "The geth haven't been out of the Veil for two centuries, and have brutally murdered anyone who entered their territory. Now they're all of a sudden attacking human colonies and working for a Turian Spectre?"

"This looks bad, Shepard," the Captain said as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Nihlus is dead. The Beacon is destroyed, and the geth are invading. The Council's gonna want answers."

"There's nothing I could have done, sir," she said, hating how much it sounded like an excuse even to her own ears. "We did save the colony though."

"That you did," he said, nodding. "And I'll stand by you and your report one hundred percent, but that's not why I'm here."

Shepard's eyes narrowed, "Let me guess… Saren," she hazarded. There'd always been rumors floating around the N7 program that Anderson had been the first human Spectre candidate, but something happened between him and Saren and he'd been kicked out of the program. Shepard didn't know if that was true or just a rumor. Either way, it sure seemed like there was bad blood between the two after the way his face darkened.

"You know who Saren is… correct?" he asked, and Shepard nodded. Everyone knew who Saren, was if only by reputation. "Well then you know what he's capable of, and if he IS working with the geth that means he gone rogue."

She'd been worrying about that too. A rogue human-hating Spectre sounded like a whole hell of a lot of problems for everyone involved, but - his hatred for humanity aside - he had come to Eden Prime for something other than revenge. "He was after the Beacon, Captain ."

Anderson nodded. "You're right about that. And worse, he's somehow allied himself with the geth," he said, standing up and starting to pace. "I don't know how or why, but whatever he's planning can't be good." He paused, staring at her. "You were there when the Beacon self-destructed. Did you see something… anything that might give us a clue as to why Saren was after it?"

"This is gonna sound… uhh, crazy," she said, and started running her fingers through her blonde hair. "When the Beacon grabbed me," she started to explain, "there were… images… some kind of vision or something," she finished exasperated.

"A vision," he said looking puzzled. "Of what?"

"Death," Shepard offered simply. "Of synthetics, geth possibly, slaughtering people." She shrugged, unsure of what exactly it was that she saw.

Anderson mused aloud, "The Council is going to want to know what happened."

"And tell them what?" she asked with a sarcastic tone. "Tell'em I hit my head and had a bad dream?"

"We have no idea what kind of information the Beacon might've held," Anderson argued. "Lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient WMD? We have no idea, Shepard. Whatever it was, Saren wanted it bad enough to attack one of our colonies." The Captain's voice and eyes went deadly cold, reminding Shepard that he'd been one of the first N7s. "I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy." Smashing his right fist into the palm of his left hand, he continued, "The attack on Eden Prime was an attack of war! With an army of geth at his command he, won't stop until humanity is wiped from the face of the galaxy."

Somehow, as horrible as that thought was, she didn't think Saren's plans were as simple as that. Plus, any open attack on humanity by Saren and the geth would result in a massive war between the Council races and the geth. As much as Saren hated humanity, she doubted he would start a war in which millions of his own people would die.

"I don't suppose we could handle him ourselves," Shepard suggested, and by 'we' she meant N7 commandos and by handle she meant 'kill.'

Anderson chuckled slightly as he understood what she meant, "We can't do that Shepard. If the Council ever found out we assassinated one of their Spectres…," he trailed off. "Humanity would have so many sanctions placed on us, it would be centuries before we got out of the dog house."

"I do covert," she responded, putting the right touch of righteous indignation in her tone. She did agree with him that if they were discovered they'd be in deep shit, but she thought that if ordered she could pull it off.

"I know," he said with a raised eyebrow. "I've read your jacket Shepard, but still we need the Council's support on this one."

"Aye, Captain."

"Now," he said, clapping her on the shoulder, "We're approaching the Citadel, so you might want change into your class A's to meet the ambassador and the Council."

XXX

"You wanted to see me?" Detective Garrus Vakarian said, standing before the Executor of Citadel Security. Garrus was a Turian from their homeworld of Palaven, and as such had blue facial markings to represent his home. A veteran officer, he had seen a lot in his service but had never before been called to meet one-on-one with the Executor.

"Detective Vakarian," the Executor, a Turian named Pallian, rumbled. "What I'm about to say will not leave this room…understood?"

"Yes, sir," Garrus said, hiding his curiosity beneath a mask of stoicism. At least he wasn't here to get reprimanded for his 'unorthodox' ways. One, Pallian wouldn't have bothered doing it himself and two, he wouldn't have sworn him to secrecy.

"We have a situation," the C-Sec chief said, crossing his taloned fingers in front of him. "Fourteen hours ago, the human colony of Eden Prime was attacked by geth."

That got his unbridled attention, but what did it have to do with him? He was a C-Sec detective, not a Spectre. "What does this have to do with me?"

Pallian actually looked pained as he said, "Despite your record for insubordination, you are the best detective on the force and you'll be needed. You see," he paused, a fire entering his eyes, "the humans' claim the attack was led by Saren Arterius. I for one believe them. The bastard is without honor."

Garrus blinked as he processed the information. Unlike most Turians, he didn't despise most Spectres because of their actions. In fact he agreed that sometimes rules needed to be broken for the greater good. It was something that most Turians just didn't understand, but Saren… Saren was a monster, and even he saw that. "You want me to open an investigation into him?"

The C-Sec chief nodded. "I don't have to tell you how difficult this is going to be… investigating a Spectre, and you're on the clock Garrus. The Council doesn't want to believe that their favorite has gone rogue."

"I understand, sir. How long do I have?" Garrus said as he rapidly went through a mental list of every source, contact and informant he had, wondering if any of them could be of any use.

"A standard week," Pallian said deadpan.

Garrus felt his mandibles flare in shock and surprise, "A week!" he exclaimed, "Sir, that's…"

The Executor held his right hand up, signaling him to stop. "I know… still, that was the deadline the Council gave us."

XXX

Shepard stared out the window of Ambassador Udina's office as the Ambassador argued with the Council. The Special Forces Operator in her thought this was a damn silly spot for an Ambassador to work because of the large open air vista. A rookie sniper could drop the Ambassador like a deer. That said, there wasn't much crime on the Presidium, and given the amount of security they had to go through to get in here she doubted that even SHE could have smuggled a weapon inside.

Digging her right index finger beneath the collar of her dress uniform, she tugged on it a bit, giving her a little more breathing room. She hated wearing her dress blues and tried to avoid it whenever possible. It wasn't that she didn't have pride in what it stood for; it was they were so damn uncomfortable.

"This is an outrage," Udina growled at the holographic Councilors. "The Council would act if the geth attacked a Turian colony." Shepard winced as he started to talk. She was no diplomat but yelling at them didn't seem like the wisest way to go about things.

"_The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems… Ambassador_," the Salarian Councilor stated dryly.

"_Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse_," the Asari Councilor added, almost sounding bored.

Glancing at Anderson with an 'I told you so' look, her 'assassinate Saren' idea was sounding better and better by the minute. The way this was going, they'd be lucky to even get a C-Sec investigation.

"What about Saren?" Udina shouted shaking his fist at the Council. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!" There's the shouting again, Shepard thought, shaking her head.

"You don't get to make demands of this Council," the Turian Councilor all but snarled.

"_Citadel Security is investigating your claims against Agent Saren_," the Asari said stressing the Spectre's title. "_We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before_." Then the three holograms dissolved.

Udina sighed angrily before turning to Captain Anderson. "I see you've brought Commander Shepard with you, Captain," he said, before turning to look at her.

"Ambassador," Shepard said with a polite nod of her head

"I have your mission reports," he said before raising his eyebrow. "I assume it's accurate?" he questioned.

It was a fair question and Shepard wasn't offended in the least. When N7s filled mission reports - assuming the mission was one that reports were to be filed on - they were rarely fully forthcoming. Joint Special Operations Command knew that the N7s did most of the wetwork, and turned a blind eye as long as what the N7s did didn't make headlines or reach the ears of the Military Oversight Sub-Committee. Otherwise, you could expect a blindfold and a cigarette. Everyone who joined was made aware of that.

"They're one-hundred percent accurate… sir," she added on almost as an afterthought. She still wasn't all that use to dealing with civilian brass… were they still called brass if they were civilians?

"Sounds like you got the Council to give us an audience," Anderson said quickly, and Shepard had to suppress a smile. He had been an N7 once upon a time and hadn't had the opportunity to read her report, so he didn't know if she was lying.

Udina scoffed, "They weren't happy about it. Saren's their top agent and they don't like him being accused of treason."

"Those bastards are gonna have to face the music sooner or later," she said, crossing her arms, "or they'll wake up one day and find the geth goose-stepping through the Citadel. I say we deal with him ourselves if they won't." As soon as she said it, another thought passed through her mind… did the geth goose-step?

Udina actually snorted in a brief moment of laughter before his semi-permanent scowl came back. "Calm down Commander, Anderson told me of your little idea and I'll have none of that. You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres." Pointing his index finger at her he continued, his tone taking a slightly darker edge. "The mission to Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus winds up dead and the Beacon was destroyed!"

"Wait just a god-damned minute," Shepard exclaimed furious and got right up in his face. "That wasn't my fault! That mission was supposed to be a simple pickup, not a snatch and grab of a five-ton piece of stone. Hell," she shouted, throwing her arms up while walking away only to turn back to face him, "I didn't even know what was going on 'til we were over the damn planet. IF I had been informed earlier I could have planned contingencies, not to mention had a real team - not a biotic boy scout and an FNG!"

She felt her anger fade and straightened to attention, awaiting a reprimand. She was still pissed. Not because of the fact that she may have jeopardized her Spectre Candidacy - she still didn't want the job - but because she hated the idea of failing. As a famous twentieth century general once said, 'the very idea of losing is hateful to Americans.'

Again to her amazement Udina chuckled. "Dammit Shepard, I like you," he said grudgingly, before admitting, "you're right, Commander. Let's hope the C-Sec investigation turns up something useful, otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." The Ambassador sighed. "The investigation is going to take some time, so I suggest you and your crew get some shore leave. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

XXX

6 days 16 Hours later

Garrus Vakarian was getting ready to bash his own skull in with a blunt object. During the last week he must have had only four or five hours of sleep max and was running on caffeine and power drinks. In the course of his investigation he'd called in every favor he had, and a few he didn't. Still, it got him nowhere. Worst of all, he had the feeling that some of the people may have known something, but were too scared to talk. Honestly, who could blame them?

Once, after a Batarian assassin tried to kill him, Saren hunted down the Batarian's family, friends and associates. He systematically killed them all, before finally killing the assassin himself by having him skinned alive and his carcass hung from the Afterlife sign on Omega. Needless to say, it was a memory that lingered in peoples' minds. Crossing Saren Arterius was hazardous to one's health.

Garrus had even tried to make contact with the Shadow Broker through Barla Von, a rumored contact for the mysterious information broker. The Volus had turned Garrus away, saying that the broker wouldn't turn on one of his most valuable customers.

It greatly angered him that all that work had been for nothing. He still was convinced Saren was a traitor, but he couldn't find anything to prove it to the Council. Arriving at his destination in Bachjret Ward, Garrus parked his aircar and got out. This was the closest ward to the Alliance Fleet moorings, and where one of his contacts had last seen the woman he was now searching for..

Walking through the section of the ward that the humans had come to call New New York - must have been a cultural joke of some sort because he didn't understand it - he finally came to the place he was looking for. "O'Malley's Genuine Irish Pub," the sign read.

"Don't see many of your kind here," the pub's bald and massive bouncer said, holding out his hand to stop him from entering. "Whattayah want, Turian?"

Pulling his C-Sec badge from beneath his shirt and resting the other hand on the butt of his sidearm, Garrus straightened up to look as intimating as possible. "I'm looking for someone."

"Don't know nothing," the man said quickly.

"Easy, I'm not here to arrest anyone," he said in what he hoped was a placating tone. He didn't spend much time around humans and didn't know a whole lot of their customs or body language. "I'm looking for a human woman. About one-point eight meters, blonde hair, green eyes; she's Alliance Navy, goes by the name Shepard."

The man's head bobbed. "I know who you're looking for, inside," he said jerking his thumb towards the door.

"Thank you," Garrus said, and pushed his way into the pub. He was greatly surprised by the interior of the establishment. The walls were covered with finished wood, and the bar was a single piece of mahogany; the owner must have gone through a lot of work to make this look like an old earth bar.

As he entered, his senses were assaulted by the stale smell of smoke, the smell of whiskey, and other strange intoxicants. Turians had a heightened sense of smell left over from their predatory ancestry, and Garrus had to flare his nostrils several times to get the smell out.

Glancing around the pub, he finally found someone who fit the description of Commander Shepard. The blonde haired woman was sitting at the bar wearing a leather jacket and faded blue jeans, with a glass full of an amber liquid in her right hand. Gathering his courage Garrus made his way over and sat on the stool next to her. Garrus hoped the Commander wasn't one of those humans who hated Turians over the Relay 314 Incident. Even though the war was nearly thirty years over some humans - and Turians - still held grudges.

She looked at him and one of her eyebrows rose up. "Can I help you?"

Garrus cleared his throat. "Commander Shepard?" he questioned, making sure he had the right human. She nodded and he held out his hand in a human gesture he'd come to know. "I'm Garrus Vakarian. I'm the head detective investigating Saren."

Suddenly her green eyes lit up before quickly dying out. Switching her glass to her other hand she shook his. "Somehow I doubt you came all the way out here to tell me good news," she said, and took a swig from her glass.

Garrus rapped his talons on the bar counter and sighed, "You're right, Commander."

The Commander raised her hand. "It's just Shepard," she said before taking another sip from her glass. The amber liquid disappeared down her throat. "Kara to my friends." She paused before the right side of her lip twitched upward. "Or rather, it would be if I had any."

Garrus was shocked by the admission. "Shepard then," he repeated. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't find anything," he said, running his hand over his head and fringe, "but Saren's a Spectre and everything he touches is classified. Plus, anyone who might know anything is too afraid to talk."

"Figures," Shepard scoffed, signaling the barkeep to refill her glass. "After the Batarian incident, who would?"

"I know he's guilty. I just know it," Garrus said, smashing his left hand into the palm of his right. He was still pissed that he hadn't found anything. "I'm sorry Com-," he paused, before correcting himself. "Shepard."

XXX

Kara Shepard had only been to O'Malley's a couple times before with her old N7 team, when the fleet group they were attached to came into dock. One of her former squadmates had frequented the place whenever he was on the Citadel, and had brought the team along one time.

After a few days of sitting around on the Normandy and the embassy with nothing to do, she had been ready to go bat-shit crazy. She was a woman of action, and long periods with nothing to do drove her crazy. It was enough… had been enough to drive her to drink.

Wincing as the scotch burned down her throat, she said, "I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Saren wouldn't be a Spectre if it was that easy to beat him." She paused. "Order a drink, Detective Vakarian." she caught the eye of the bar keep, who constantly seemed to be cleaning glasses. "Put it on my tab."

"It's Garrus," he said and ordered a drink.

"Garrus," she said to the blue face Turian, "thanks for the info." When he didn't move after finishing his drink she asked, "Did you want something?" She studied Garrus's face carefully. She wasn't all that good at reading Turians, but the look on his face said he wanted to talk to her about something… and unless she was off it was important.

The Turian looked uncomfortable and quickly downed another drink. "I want to join up with you, Shepard. You're going to take down Saren and I want to be there."

Shepard sighed, running her hand through her golden hair. "I appreciate the sentiment and confidence Garrus, but it doesn't look like we're going to be able to do anything if the Council doesn't believe us."

"You're not giving up already…are you, Shepard?" the Turian challenged.

She smiled slightly. She was starting to like this Turian. "Of course not," she said back, "I'm just not sure what to do next. I have a meeting with the Council tomorrow so I'll see how that goes."

"There's evidence out there, I know," Garrus said hotly, "we just have to uncover it." He paused for a second. "You also don't have to worry about me holding my own. I was a scout sniper in the Turian army with a recon unit, and a team commander for a Special Response team here on the Citadel."

"Impressive," Shepard said, and she meant it. Turian scout snipers were sneaky sons of bitches, and had wreaked havoc during the First Contact. Many an Alliance officer had fallen to deadly accurate fire of Turian snipers. During the liberation of Shanxi, the army had been forced to use tanks and ground attack aircraft to kill the bastards. Plus, he'd been on C-Sec's Special Response Team, the equivalent of human SWAT teams. They were reputed to be one of the best paramilitary police teams in the galaxy.

"Though," she continued curiously, "isn't detective a step down from team leader?"

Garrus chuckled while nodding his head. "Wasn't exactly my choice," he said cryptically.

Shifting on her stool so her left elbow was on the bar and her head resting on her left hand she faced him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Turian grumbled. "I was on a hostage rescue mission," he said taking a brief sip of his drink. "I knew the situation was bad. The terrorists had already killed one hostage and were threatening to kill more. Command ordered me to wait, but I knew if I did then they'd only kill more."

Shepard grimaced, and this time not from the scotch. That was why she never like working with civilians; they complicated everything. That was also why she had a lot of respect for SWAT teams and their equivalents. Anyone who could storm a room full of people and not shoot until you were 100% sure you were going to hit a bad guy had balls. "What happened?"

"I went in anyway," he hissed. "Wiped out the terrorists and saved all the hostages." Then a far off look entered his eyes. "The executor and the section chief were pissed. They called it 'insubordination' and 'unnecessary risk of life.' However, I'd been successful, so they couldn't just kick me off the force. So, they transferred me off the Special Response Team."

"Beside," he continued, "you might need a good cop to track Saren down."

Raising her glass she agreed. "Alright, welcome to the team," Shepard said as she drained her glass. "Meet me at the human embassy at 1530. That should be about an hour after my meeting with the Council." The N7 Commander rose, straightening her jacket as she did. "I'll see you there."

XXX

Saran Arterius paced inside his quarters on his flagship. He had received summons from the Council nearly a week ago, to answer to human charges that he had led the geth in an attack against Eden Prime. He'd pleaded that he was on an important mission and couldn't physically return to the Citadel, but agreed to appear by hologram.

He'd dodged the proverbial bullet with that one. There was no way he could have hidden the cybernetic upgrades he had received in person, but he could easily doctor a hologram so he appeared normal. Picking up a metal chair, he slammed it into wall. The chair dented and deformed as it struck the wall, and Saren picked it up and hurled it against the far wall as he roared. Everything had been going so smoothly until Nihlus, Captain Anderson, and Lieutenant Commander Shepard came along and interfered.

"Anderson," Saren roared. He'd thought he'd seen the last of that human when he sabotaged the man's mission to keep him out of the Spectres. However, it hadn't been Anderson who had nearly ruined his plans on Eden Prime. It had been the female who'd lead the ground team. Heading to his personal terminal he brought up Nihlus's files.

Ironically, when Nihlus died, his personal files had come into his possession and would prove most helpful in learning about his new opponents. He started searching through the records looking for one in particular. When he found the one he was looking for, he would have smiled if he was capable of it. Quickly typing several keys he caused a holographic screen to appear and on the page was written:

_TOP SECRET _

_Alliance Military Personal File_

_Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Shepard_

As he quickly skimmed the file he purred in pleasure. Everything he'd ever want to know about her was here; her personal history, military jacket, psychological evaluations and more. She was what the humans called a military brat with two military parents. Her father had been killed in the Relay 314 Incident on Shanxi before she had even been born. Saren paused empathetically for a moment when he read that. He'd lost his only brother there as well, but the feeling passed almost as soon has it came. He then felt a feeling of disgust that he could empathize with a filthy human.

He read on. Not surprisingly, she had joined the Alliance Navy herself, attending the Britannia Royal Naval College and graduating in the top of her class. She spent the next two years on the Mars Military Training Reservation, more commonly known as Hades, training to be an N7 officer. She graduated second in her class and was promptly assigned to a field unit.

Most of her missions for the Alliance were classified and not even a Spectre could get those files. There were a few he recognized by reputation, though; Torfan was certainly one of those. He'd read intelligence briefs on the Alliance retaliatory strike on Torfan, but he'd never actually known the name of the Spec Ops Commander who lead the attack.

Finding another chair, Saren sat to study the files he had been given. Long ago he had learned how powerful information was, and he wasn't going to give up any advantage he had.

XXX

Shepard followed Anderson from the embassy towards the enormous spire that rose up from the Presidium. Most people merely thought of the Citadel tower as the home of the Council, when instead it housed the bureaucratic heart of Citadel Space and served as the office of the common bureaucrats who kept the galaxy running.

Not that this elevator would take them to any of those levels. This lift took people from the Presidium, assuming they managed to get past the security checkpoint, straight to the Council Chambers. Shepard felt her jaw drop as she stepped from the lift. The walkway was framed with cherry trees, and waterfalls stood proudly at the back of the chamber.

People dotted the chamber. Some were diplomats and ambassadors waiting to meet with the Council or their flunkies. One, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, was an Alliance Rear Admiral arguing with a Council representative.

They made their way up the rising stairs, and as they did Shepard noticed something peculiar about the layout of the chamber. The elevated positions, the clear lines of fire, and the availability of cover the higher you advanced all pointed that whoever created this chamber had tried to make this area as defensible as possible.

Finally they reached the top and she, the Ambassador, and the Captain stood up on a catwalk over an atrium looking at the three Councilors and a huge holographic avatar of Saren. Shepard felt her blood run cold as she saw the rogue Spectre standing arrogantly, his arms folded across his chest.

"The geth attack is a matter of concern," she heard a voice echo from above her as she ascended the stairs. It was a voice she quickly recognized as belonging to the Asari Councilor. "But there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved."

"The C-Sec investigation hasn't discovered any evidence to support your charge of treason," the Turian Councilor added sounding angry with them for wasting his and the Council's time. Shepard felt her lip twitch at his remark. Garrus had told her as much and she wasn't quite sure what chance they had of convincing the Council of Saren's guilt.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood," the ambassador countered. Again Shepard felt her lip twitch. The dockworker had been their only actual witness to Saren's actions. He'd been taken up on the carrier _Charlemagne_, which had arrived at the head of the Fifth Fleet, for transfer to the Citadel where he could testify.

"An eyewitness you have failed to produce," the Salarian said coldly. The Alliance hadn't produced the witness because he was dead. The MP's had found the man in his quarters having presumably hung himself. The ship's doctor had ruled the death a suicide by Shepard wasn't so sure; it was far too coincidental.

"_I've read these… accusations_," Saren said the last word dripping distastefully off his tongue, "_and I resent them._" He added quickly and forcefully, "_Nihlus was a friend and a fellow Spectre_."

"That only let you get the drop on him!" Anderson shouted back, angry.

Shepard stared up at Saren, trying to get a feel for the old Spectre. Turians were hard to read and the fact that he was communicating via hologram didn't help either, but she would of sworn she saw amusement flash over his face. "_Captain Anderson, why does it always seem you're involved when humanity makes false charges against me_?"

So apparently the rumors were true, Shepard mused, looking back at the captain. Saren and he apparently DID have a past. Shepard felt a brief flash of annoyance jolt through her. That outburst was not going to help them one bit. Saren was obviously going to try to spin this as a private vendetta, and Anderson was only playing into his hands. Saren's gaze shifted to her and his mandibles twitched ever so slightly; she was going to have to ask Garrus about Turian body language.

"_And this must be your protégé_," Saren said mockingly, pointig a clawed hand at her. "_The one who let the Beacon be destroyed_."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "That mission was classified top secret," she said in a matter of fact tone, crossing her arms across her chest. "How'd you know about it?" She doubted an agent of Saren's experience would make such a careless mistake as mentioning something he wasn't supposed to know about.

"_As Nihlus's mentor_," the Spectre started, "_his files reverted to me upon his untimely demise. I read your report. I wasn't impressed, Commander_." His mandibles twitched again. "_But what can you expect… from a human_." He spoke the last word with the same disgust you'd use when talking about vorcha.

"I think we can conduct this meeting without insults," she said in an overly civil tone, and felt her mouth twitch up in a smile as anger flashed over his face.

"_Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard_," Saren snarled. "_You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres._"

"He has no right to say that," Udina interrupted hastily, no doubt seeing years of work going up in flames. "That's not his decision."

Fortunately for the Ambassador, the Asari councilor agreed. "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."

"_This meeting has no purpose_," the Spectre snarled. "_The humans are wasting your time and mine_."

The Councilors glanced at one another before slowly shaking their heads and then the Asari spoke. "The Council has heard no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have Saren discharged from the office of the Special Tactics of Reconnaissance is denied."

Shepard shifted on her feet. Walking in here she hadn't expected to hear a different verdict, but even knowing the odds she still hated to lose. Saren, however, couldn't help but twist the dagger a little deeper. "I'm glad justice was served."

"This meeting is dismissed."

Shepard watched as the Council turned and left quietly, talking amongst themselves as they did. Saren's avatar gave one last triumphant glare before it dissolved. Shepard balled her hands together so hard that the bones in her hand ached. She HATED losing.

"It was a mistake bringing you, Captain," Udina said, tiredly running his hands through his receding hairline. "You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives."

"I know Saren," Anderson said vehemently. "He's working with the geth for one reason," he said, holding up a corresponding finger. "To exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe."

"My suggestion's still open," Shepard said, only half joking.

"No," Udina said firmly. "We need to do this legally. We need something to expose him as a traitor and a murderer."

"Detective Vakarian offered his help," Shepard spoke up. "He said he'd keep looking for any possible leads. He should be waiting for us back at the embassy."

"Do you trust him?" Udina questioned. "This… Turian?"

Shepard mulled over the question for several seconds before answering. "I wouldn't say I trust him. He hasn't done anything to earn it yet, but I believe he wants the same thing as us," and by that, she meant bringing down Saren.

XXX

Garrus Vakarian was at the human embassy, periodically checking his omni-tool for the time. He had gotten in with only a brief check with the ambassador's secretary, and now waited for the Commander and Ambassador to return.

Against all odds he had new information from one of his confidential informants - a doctor who ran a free clinic in one of the worse sections of the Wards - about Saren. Dr. Michel had been an informant for him ever since she opened her clinic.

The clinic was used by all kinds of criminals and lowlifes in addition to the regular people. As long as Dr. Michel passed along the little tidbits of information she overheard, he made sure she got her funding from the government to run her clinic. That said, the good doctor had made it clear she wouldn't or couldn't testify in court; to do so would likely get her killed.

Garrus shifted on the couch trying to get comfortable, but the designer obviously hadn't had Turians in mind when he created it. Suddenly he heard voices and stood. The Ambassador, Commander and Captain entered the room.

"Detective," he heard the Commander say, and he saw the ends of her mouth pull up. If he remembered correctly, that meant she was pleased to see him. "What have you got for us?"

Garrus flared his mandibles, pleased with himself, "A contact of mine came through. She says she has information on Saren, but she won't give it up over the comm. I thought you might like to come with me to get it."

Shepard threw a look at the Ambassador, and he nodded. "We'll need to stop at my hotel so I can change," she said, gesturing to her dress uniform.

"My aircar's out front," Garrus gestured, and they head out of the embassy. As they made their way down the stairs, a questioned formulated in his head. He studied Shepard in her blue… outfit. She had called it a dress uniform and he knew human military wore it for formal occasions. To a Turian, the notion of having such a uniform was ridiculous. What was the point of it if you couldn't fight in it?

Still, he noticed the way her long legs extended out of her skirt, all the way to the strange little shoes she wore with the heels raised higher than the rest of the shoe. They couldn't be very comfortable, he mused, as he watched her walk. He was going to have to ask her about it… first he was going to have to ask if it was alright to ask.

He watched her with a keen eye. She was a predator. He had known that from the moment he met her, from the way she moved and scanned her surroundings, always looking for trouble. She reminded him of one of those Earth feline predators he'd seen on the extranet… a lioness or tigress; graceful and utterly deadly. It was incredibly attractive.

"Is there a problem, Garrus?" Shepard said, breaking him from his evaluation of her. The human women stood alongside the passenger side of his air car with a strange expression on her face. He wanted to say it was curiosity, and he hoped she wasn't angry for the way he stared at her.

"No Shepard, just thinking about the mission," he lied, and unlocked his aircar. "Let's get a move on."

XXX

Commander Kara Shepard finished replacing her dress uniform on its hangers in the closet, before turning and pulling her jacket off the back of a chair. She studied the old, worn jacket and smiled. Though most people wouldn't have known by looking at it, this jacket was one of her most precious possessions. It had been her great grandfather's jacket, and he had been a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Emblazoned on the back in yellow letters was the word "Navy," and underneath that was the old US Navy emblem; an eagle with a red, white and blue shield for a chest, holding a anchor.

The old jacket had passed through four generations of Shepards to get to her. One day, as her granddad had told her, she'd give it to her kids - assuming she ever had any. With practiced grace she slid on the jacket before reaching out and grabbing a pair of aviator sunglasses to slip over her eyes. All that was left for her to do was holster her side-arm in her shoulder holster, which was concealed by the bulk of her jacket, and then head down to meet Garrus.

She paused after sliding her weapon into its holster. She had seen the way the Turian looked at her; like he was studying her, almost, but there had been something else there… desire? Shepard wasn't ignorant about her looks. She knew that many men and some women found her desirable, but she'd never gotten that look from a Turian before. She was sure that she was supposed to be feeling disgusted, but she couldn't. Deep down, she recognized a kindred spirit; he was just like her… a predator, a hunter, and that excited her.

Shepard left her hotel room, headed down the hall to the elevator, and went back down to the lobby where Garrus was waiting for her. She stepped out of the elevator, and made her way down the stairs leading to the elevator. She was thankful to be out of her heels and back into her combat boots.

"Ready to go, Shepard?" Garrus's dual tone voice rang out.

"I'm ready," she said, straightening her jacket, and allowed him to lead her out to his aircar. When she was strapped in Garrus shifted into gear and took off. "Where are we heading?"

"A clinic in one of the seedier districts of Bachjret Ward," Garrus said, as he skillfully drove his vehicle through the constant streams of traffic that flew around and through the Citadel. "The doctor that runs it said she had information."

"Is she reliable?" Shepard questioned. The last thing she wanted to do was waste her time on a wild goose chase.

"She's never given me bad information," Garrus said, his eyes never leaving the skylanes. "Sometimes the information she's given has been a little late, but never bad."

Minutes later, he brought his vehicle to a halt and parked it in a rather dark and seedy parking lot. The pair leapt from the car as soon as the hatch opened, and Shepard let Garrus lead her in the direction of the clinic. This area was just like Garrus had predicted: dark and seedy. It reminded her of the less fortunate areas of any major city.

In an effort to blend in - a necessary skill for any covert operative - Shepard shoved her hands in her pockets, hunched her shoulders, and bowed her head. A quick look at Garrus and she saw he was doing the same, which increased her confidence in him; he knew what he was doing.

The pair wove their way through the crowds, keeping a good distance between each other, and periodically switching who was in the lead. Garrus coughed, and nodded in the direction of a building which had a heavily built man standing on the right side.

"That's a lookout it I ever saw one," Shepard whispered, as she reached into her jacket and pulled her weapon free of her holster. She brought it around and slipped it in her waist band near the small of her back. "How do want to play this?"

"Hard and fast?" he responded questioningly, sliding his own weapon into his waist band.

"Follow my lead then," she said, a smile touching her lips. Pulling her right arm across her chest like it was injured, she walked towards the door to the clinic.

When it was clear where she was headed, the lookout/guard moved to block her. "Clinic's closed," he said gruffly.

Shepard hissed like she was in pain and cradled her arm. "I think I broke my arm," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Do you have any idea how much this hurts?"

The tattooed bruiser growled, "Get lost, bitch," and pulled back his sleeveless jacket to reveal a pistol in the waist band of his pants.

Letting her eyes go wide, Shepard feigned fear and nodded quickly. She started to turn like she was leaving, but at the last moment pivoted on her right heel and slammed her right elbow into his face. The man staggered back into the wall and Shepard, quicker than he could react, jammed her gun hard into his stomach. "If you want to live past the next few seconds, you won't make a sound," she said. She relieved him of his weapon and handed it to Garrus, who had by this time moved up to cover her six.

The bruiser glared at her as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "Fuck you," he spat, spitting blood on her face.

Shepard growled and took a step back, leveling her weapon at his face. She briefly considered killing him, but instead settled for pistol whipping him across the face. He crumpled to the ground. Wiping the blood away, she kicked the man in the balls, causing him to curl up and whimper.

She took a position to the left side of the door. "What's this doctor look like?" she questioned. She didn't want to shoot his informant by accident.

"Human," Garrus replied. "Female, light skinned, with red fringe." Shepard raised her eyebrow at the term, and he corrected himself, "Hair, with red hair."

Shepard nodded and brought her hand up with three fingers extended. "On three," she said and Garrus nodded. Taking a deep breath, she started counting, "One…two..."Her left hand was on the door while her right held her pistol. "Three!" she shouted, and slapped the button.

The door whooshed open and Shepard entered, hugging tight to the left side. Breaching a room filled with an unknown number of hostiles and a hostage was no walk in the park. Breaching, period, was just about the most dangerous thing a soldier could do. She'd rather wade through some alligator- infested swamp, or freeze on some frozen tundra hunting for a pirate base, than breach into an unknown situation.

Four figures occupied her field of were all human, three males and a female. That made things a little bit easier, she quickly thought as she placed her sights on the male thug to the far left. Her trigger finger caressed the firing stud, and the weapon spoke in one earsplitting roar, sending a tiny sliver of metal flying down range. The round impacted the thug on the far left at the base of his skull and he went down dead.

"What the-," the middle thug started to shout as he reached for the doctor, apparently to use her as a human shield, but he never made it farther than that. Shepard shifted her aim and fired again, catching him in the chest and sending him spinning to the ground.

Raising the muzzle so it pointed in the air, Shepard moved carefull towards the doctor who seemed to be in shock. As Garrus rushed to check on the good doctor, Shepard came up on the bodies to inspect them and make sure they were all dead. Toeing the thug on the far right over onto his back, she saw the man had a hole right between his eyes. That was one hell of a shot, she thought, as she threw Garrus an admiring glance.

When she did turn back to him, she saw him comforting the nearly hysterical doctor. "Doctor Michel," he said grabbing her by the shoulders, "calm down. What happened here? Who are these men? Where they here about the information you have for me? What is it?"

"Easy, Garrus," Shepard said, not looking up from securing the corpses' weapons. "Give her some room."

Garrus backed off and slowly the doctor came back. "They work for Fist," she started.

At her curious look, Garrus explained, "Raphael Fist is a minor crime lord and the owner of Chora's Den, a local strip club."

Michel nodded, "They wanted to shut me up, to keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

"What Quarian?" Shepard asked, only a moment ahead of Garrus. Quarians - she had never actually met one before, few people had. They were a race of nomadic space travellers who had been exiled from their homeworld and colonies after a devastating rebellion by the geth, after the synthetics achieved sentience.

"Yesterday," the doctor started, rubbing her hands together with worry, "a quarian came to the clinic. She'd been shot, but wouldn't saw by whom. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She wanted to get in touch with the Shadow Broker. She said she had information proving that Saren betrayed the Council. She wanted to trade the information for a safe place to hide. So, I put her in contact with Fist. He's one of the Broker's agents."

That got Shepard's undivided attention. The Shadow Broker was the top information dealer in the galaxy. He or she or it sold state secrets like they were trinkets at one of the local markets. Alliance Intelligence, in cooperation with Naval Special Warfare, had devoted a significant amount of resources to tracking down the elusive broker, but nothing had ever come of it.

The operation had eventually been terminated, after the lead agent had been arrested when it had been revealed that several large payments had been credited to his account. The internal security agents eventually traced the payments as going through Illium, the Citadel, and half a dozen other worlds until it came to Noveria. While nothing could be proved, internal security believed him to be the reason the operation failed. The agent had been burned, and she had never heard from him again. Personally, she believed he was framed, but she couldn't prove that either.

"Not anymore," Garrus said holstering his weapon. "Now he works for Saren."

Michel looked completely floored. "Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite an offer," she said, rubbing her head.

"I say we pay Fist a little visit," she said, smiling at Garrus who nodded back at her. She turned to leave and stepped over one of the bodies. "You might want to call C-Sec and clean this mess up. Oh, and don't mention us," she finished sternly as she left the building.

When she the exited the building, she noticed that the man she knocked out was still lying there. He groaned, and she looked down at him for a second before kicking him in the balls again. "Remind me to never piss you off, Shepard," Garrus chuckled.

"That's a very good idea." She smiled before asking, "You know where this club is?"

Garrus nodded, "Come on, I'll show you."

XXX

The echo of metallic footfalls sounded as Saren stomped his way down the ramp of his shuttle, escorted by a phalanx of gleaming silver geth troopers. The shuttle rested on top of a large landing pad for a top secret laboratory on the planet Virmire.

"Agent Saren," an Asari addressed the Spectre with a small bow. "Welcome back to Virmire. Doctor Droyas is in the lab," she paused, sounding somewhat nervous. "He said he couldn't be disturbed, but I could fetch him if you want."

The Spectre regarded the scientist through cold silver eyes. He was slightly peeved that the doctor hadn't been here to meet him. After all, he had funded and provided the means for the doctor to save his species from a slow degradation into extinction. But the Spectre fought down his annoyance; if the Doctor came through, than it wouldn't matter one way or another. With both the geth and the Krogan to command, he would have mighty army at his disposal.

"How is his research going?" Saren snapped tersely as he headed off the pad and towards the facility. He didn't pause or slow his pace as the scientist struggled to keep up with his long strides.

"Doctor Droyas said he's made great strides towards the elimination of the genophage," she said excitedly. "We should be ready to begin testing in a few weeks' time."

Saren stopped abruptly, and the Asari bumped into him and fell back flat on her ass. The Spectre spun and grabbed the Asari by her throat, lifted her up and pinned her to the wall. "You've been saying that for weeks," he growled, causing the scientist's eyes to widen with fear. "If I don't see some improvement soon…," he trailed off, letting her mind work through all the horrible possibilities that awaited her, and with a grunt he let her fall to the ground.

The Asari slowly picked herself up off the ground. "Of course," she stuttered, rubbing her bruised throat, and without anything further took off in the opposite direction.

He snorted as he watched her go. She didn't understand what all this was. The little blue woman thought this was about solving some problem or righting a perceived wrong, when it had nothing to do with it. This was about power - power to effect change and power to preserve.

The Spectre entered the lab where the Krogan doctor worked. Almost immediately, the smell of antiseptic and blood assaulte his nostrils. This was brute force medicine he realized, as he stalked through the operating tables upon which rested several dissected Krogan bodies. Long ago such things stopped having an impact upon his soul; long ago he'd stopped seeing individuals and only focused on the bigger picture. The needs of the many… as the old saying went.

"Spectre," a voice at least three octaves lower than his own grumbled. "What a pleasant surprise," the Krogan doctor lied through his many teeth.

"Doctor," he grumbled back, evaluating the Krogan before him. The Krogan looked more like a butcher than a medical doctor, with his blood-stained apron and surgical gloves. "I want a report," he said, walking over to one of the dissected corpses. He plucked an organ off the cart with his taloned fingers. He couldn't remember which organ it was - Krogan had multiple redundant organs - but he thought it was a kidney or maybe a liver. "On your progress," he finished, letting the organ fall to the floor with a sickening squish.

"The current strain of retro-virals has shown promise on the latest batch of test subjects," the Krogan said, referring to the corpses. "Within a few weeks I'll have a viable cure."

Saren rapped the talons of his right hand on the table. "Good," he said, "and to make sure there are not anymore… delays... I'm leaving a legion's worth of geth here."

"That wasn't part to the arrangement," the Krogan snarled, taking several threatening steps forward before the whir of ten geth aiming their rifles at him cause him to stop.

A dark, almost demonic, gleam entered Saren's eyes and he stared down the Krogan. "I'm altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further," and with that. the Spectre left.

XXX

Garrus and Shepard entered Chora's Den looking like they were there to party. Shepard had her jacket open and her shirt pulled down so it revealed a good amount of cleavage. As they entered, Garrus was intently aware of her arm around his waist and her body pressing up against his. Her hand was rubbing his waist, and that was causing his body to react in a way that was going to become very obvious very soon.

They got several stares from the partiers as human/Turian couples weren't all that common, but eventually the intrigue wore off and they went back to their festivities. Sliding into a booth, he felt Shepard rest her head against his shoulder and whispered, "Do you have a plan, detective?" she whispered, and she ran her hand over his thigh.

He knew this was for show, and clenched his jaw so hard the bones ached to stop his body's instinctual reactions. "Shepard," he hissed, grasping her hand with his own. He had to stop her know before he embarrassed himself. "We have to figure out a way to get past the guard," he said, gesturing to the large Krogan.

To his relief Shepard, removed her hand and threw a brief glance over his shoulder before saying, "Maybe I could get invited for a personal visit to Fisk."

The tone of her voice clearly stated what kind of personal visit she would have to try to convince him she was going to provide. Garrus felt a growl form deep in his chest that took him by surprise. In the short time he'd known this human female he developed feelings of… he wasn't quite sure what they were. He respected her abilities as a soldier and he felt protective of her, "I'd rather you not have to put yourself at risk."

Shepard glanced around the room for a brief second. "Well Garrus, I count seven guards, not counting the Krogan," she said softly, and rested her head against his shoulder as another couple walked by.

Garrus reached his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, in keeping with the ruse. Narrowing his eyes he glanced around the room again. He'd only seen six guards, seven if you count the Krogan. He flared his mandibles in frustration, he still only saw six. He looked back at her. "I only see six."

She leaned in till her face was only a few inches from his so it looked like she was whispering something intimate. "Two by the door." She started out with the easy ones first. Those were the big bruisers that everyone was supposed to see. "The three by the strippers," she said, pointing to the two humans and the Turian meant to keep people from getting too friendly with the strippers. They were a bit more disguised, but still easily seen to those who knew what to look for. "And the couple three rows behind us."

He'd seen them before; like a good cop and former scout sniper, he made sure he was always aware of his surroundings. The human couple sat at their booth, made out, and occasionally got up to dance before sitting back down to drink and chat. He was about to question Shepard's observations when he suddenly noticed something - they weren't actually drinking. They brought the drink to their lips, but didn't actually drink any of it; instead, they just pretended.

It was an old trick used by cops, criminals, and any others who wanted to stay sober in a scene where drinking was expected. Spirits, he realized, she was right. Alright, so a straight fight was out of the question. Suddenly a thought came to him. "We could start a bar fight and slip in the office during the distraction."

Shepard paused before Garrus saw a smile slip over her face, and what he could only describe as a mischievous glint lit up her eyes. "Dance with me," she said, pushing him out of the booth and dragging him onto the dance floor. "Follow my lead," she whispered.

Garrus was about to ask her what she meant when he saw her fist flying towards him. He didn't even have time to duck or shout out before her fist connected with his face, knocking him flat on his ass. "You fucking asshole," she shouted, "you think you can just feel me up like that!"

In a flash of understanding, Garrus realized what she trying to do. It was ironic that she was playing off the hostility between the Turians and humans to pull this off. "You little bitch," he roared in fake anger as he stood up and rubbed his snout. Lashing out, he grabbed her by the throat carefully so not to actually hurt her. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"Hey, let her go," a dark skinned human male said, grabbing his wrist.

Garrus had to stop himself from sighing in relief - the plan was working. Ripping his wrist from the human's hand he roared, "Get your hand off me, human. The little cock-tease and I have a score to settle."

"Let hell you do, scaly," the human said sternly. "She's coming with me.

"Where do you get off thinking you're in charge here, ape-man?" another Turian growled. The 'little dispute' was growing as humans and Turians and even a few Salarians started taking sides. Heated arguments started, and it was only a matter of time before a punch was thrown and the fight started.

In the chaos, no one noticed the two slip away and towards the door that led to Fist's private 'play room' and office. With the guards focused on breaking up the fight, they didn't notice Garrus and Shepard slip past the door. Moving swiftly down the hall holding their weapons at the ready, Garrus heard a noise. Raising a clenched hand, he signaled Shepard to freeze. The noise sounded again, and his eyes went wide as he realized what it was. Apparently Shepard did as well, as she snorted in a laughter.

With a swift kick, Shepard knocked in the door. "Freeze," she shouted, aiming her pistol. "Don't make a move."

A second later Garrus entered the room, his weapon leveled, and almost immediately raised it up again. Fist was hardly in a position to fight back. He was naked as the day he was born, with two naked women on either side; it was clear what they had just been doing. "What the fuck his going on here?" he shouted, reaching for his weapon.

Shepard, however, was intent on keeping him from accomplishing that. She fired a single shot in front of his outstretched hand. "Not so fast, Fist," she said, letting the barrel of her pistol drift down to his most 'precious' of areas in an unspoken threat. "The Quarian. Where'd you send her? Tell me now and you might escape without becoming an eunuch."

Garrus grimaced at the threat like, any sane male would, and Fist said quietly, "I don't know where the Quarian is-" but whatever he was going to say next was cut off as Shepard discharged her weapon. The round struck about an inch from his 'jewels.'

The two woman screamed, and so did he. "Fuck, you crazy bitch!" he shouted, before quickly adding, "I don't know where she is, but I know where she will be. The Quarian isn't here. Said she would only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Impossible," Garrus said firmly. "The Broker only works through agents."

Fist paused, but quickly spoke as Shepard's finger tightened on the trigger. "She didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting. When she shows, Saren's men will be waiting for her."

"I'd tell us the location before my friend decides to beat it out of you," Garrus threatened, with a nod in Shepard's direction.

"In the back alley by the markets," he said quickly. "She's supposed to meet them any minute now, if you hurry you can still catch them."

XXX

Shepard ignored the stares and the shouts of indignity as she pushed, weaved and shoved through the crowds of people. She and Garrus raced through this district of the Wards. They only had matter of minutes to get where they needed to be, or the Quarian would die and they would be back where they started with nothing but a corpse to show for it.

"Do we have a plan, Shepard?" Garrus huffed as he ran alongside her.

"Not in particular," she called out to the Turian. She was pretty much running on instinct by now, and they were rushing into the unknown with no intelligence or support. She briefly considered calling the local C-Sec precinct for backup, but quickly realized that they never get here in time.

They arrived at the entrance to the alley behind the markets and Shepard spotted, among the scores of residents and passersby, a lone Turian holding a poorly concealed sub-machine gun. She nudged Garrus to look over in that direction. "Lookout," was all she said.

After a few seconds he nodded, and Shepard reached down and pulled a matte-black hardened carbon steel folding dagger from its concealed carry place in her boot. Making her way through the crowd, she waited until she was less than two meters from him before calling, "Marcus," in such away so it'd sound like she was talking to an old friend.

The Turian whose facial markings Shepard thought looked almost clown-like, blinked, "You've got the-"

With a quick movement of her fingers and a flick of her wrist, the blade was out and she had the tip pressed against the Turian's femoral artery equivalent. His eyes widened as he realized all she would have to do was press hard, and he'd be dead in half a minute.

Reaching with her free hand, she took the sub-machine gun from him and pushed him slowly back into the alleyway and out of the main traffic area. She took a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Garrus was still with her and covering the lookout, before folding the knife and sliding it back into her boot.

She briefly studied the weapon in her hands. An M-9 Tempest - a rapid fire fully automatic weapon heavily favored by special operations troops and mercenaries alike. She did a brief check of the weapon and found, that while it had been poorly maintained, it was still functional. Without hesitation she smashed the butt of the weapon into the Turian's head, knocking him out cold. After the lookout had been taken care of, Shepard and Garrus moved deeper into the alleyway with weapons held at the ready.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" they heard an electronically amplified female voice say. Shepard raised a hand and lowered herself to one knee, signaling Garrus to take cover. "Where's Fist?" the voice repeated again, sounding equal parts scared and angry.

From her cover Shepard took a quick glance and saw a Turian, four Salarians and a Quarian. "Relax," the Turian cooed, stepping closer to the Quarian. "Where's the data?"

Shepard cursed under her breath as she aimed down the sights of the SMG. There were four of them, all armed with sub-machine guns, and as far as she could tell the Quarian wasn't armed at all. She didn't like these odds one bit.

"That's it, the deals off," the Quarian said, making a slashing motion with her hand. The Turian, predictably, did not look pleased and turned to signal his men, but he never made it as the Quarian tossed some sort of explosive device which detonated at his feet.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Shepard opened fire. She didn't quite aiming at anything, but just tried to keep their heads down as the Quarian leapt behind some crates. Once the Quarian was more or less secure, she shifted her aim to focus on the three remaining Salarian hitmen. Garrus had killed one. Her next burst caught one of the amphibians right in the chest, dropping him.

"Fuck," Shepard shouted as she felt the side of her right arm flare up in pain. She dropped back down behind the metal crate she was using for protection. She glanced at her wound and grimaced. The wound itself wasn't that bad. It had hit her bicep, going straight through the muscle and out the other side. It hurt like hell and would cause problems if it wasn't treated, but that was not what the grimace was for; the grimace was because she now had a three inch long cut in the arm of her favorite jacket.

"Shepard," Garrus shouted, and she could hear the concern in his voice. "You still up?"

Clasping her left hand over the bloody wound she held up her right hand, wincing as she did. "I took a hit, but I'm fine," she shouted back. To empathize that point she fired several more bursts from her weapon, sending the rounds downrange. "Get the Quarian."

Shepard fired again and so did Garrus. This time, they received no fire in return as the last enemy fell. Shepard covered Garrus as he quickly advanced towards the Quarian's position. Once she was sure she would be fine Shepard dropped back down, resting up against the crate as she laid her weapon down next to her. Unzipping her jacket she took a good segment of the base of her undershirt in her hands, and ripped a strip long enough to bandage her arm. Gingerly, she tied the makeshift bandage tightly around her arm to stop the flow of blood from the wound.

By the time she was finished, Garrus had come back with the Quarian in tow. "Shepard, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Garrus said, referring to the purple environmental suited Quarian.

Shepard blinked slightly at the name. "Is it alright if I call you Tali?"

The masked and helmeted head of the Quarian nodded briefly. "That's fine," she started but trailed off. "Keela," she shouted, pointing to Shepard's wound, "are you alright?"

"Fine," Shepard growled as she stood. "You still have the data?"

Tali patted one of the pockets of her environmental suit. "It's still here. It will give me the chance to repay you for saving my life."

"Good. Let's get back to the embassy."

XXX

A few hours later, with her arm professionally bandaged and her wound filled with a regenerative bio-foam, Shepard stood once more in her finest dress before the Council as Ambassador Udina presented the evidence that Tali had managed to secure.

She was quite impressed that the young Quarian girl had managed to ambush a geth and not only subdue it, but extract its memory processor unit and recover useful information. It was that useful information that was now playing over the loud speakers.

"_Eden Prime was a major victory_," Saren's voice clearly sounded. "_The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit._"

"_And one step closer to the return of the Reapers_," another voice said, a female voice that Shepard didn't recognize. From the way it sounded she was sure that it was either from a human or an Asari, and given Saren's apparent distaste for humanity she doubted it was the former.

Reapers. The very name was disconcerting. It brought to mind images of darkness and death, not to mention a black cloaked skeletal figure holding a scythe. The fact that the geth believed these Reapers were responsible for the destruction of the Protheans, the most advanced organic species in history, didn't help matters at all.

"You wanted proof," Udina said, thrusting a finger at the Council, and Shepard couldn't help but notice the smugness with which he said it. "Well, there it is!"

"This evidence," the Turian councilor said almost hesitantly, "is irrefutable. C-Sec has confirmed its authenticity. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to arrest him."

Throughout the Turian's little speech Shepard noticed that the Asari councilor was looking uneasy. "I recognize the other voice speaking to Saren. The one C-Sec couldn't identify. Matriarch Benezia," the Asari said very slowly, as if she didn't quite believe it. "She a very power biotic, and a leader of great influence among my people."

That got Shepard interested. Asari Matriarchs were supposedly amongst the wisest beings in the galaxy, and while she was sure they all weren't the wily sages they were made out to be, the fact that one would side with Saren was surprising and disturbing.

"I'm more interested in the Reapers," the Salarian added. "What do you know about them?"

"The geth believe the Reapers to be an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans, before they themselves vanished," Shepard said, crossing her arms. "It sounds almost unbelievable," she admitted, "though I do find it strange that almost every culture - from humans to Asari, Turians and Salarians - all have the word 'Reaper' in their vocabulary. The fact that all the cultures also associate Reapers as agents of death is also interesting." She paused. "The geth revere the Reapers, and they believe that Saren will use the Conduit to bring them back."

"Do we know what or where this Conduit is?" the Salarian asked.

That she didn't know. "If the Conduit can bring back these Reapers, it's bad enough," she stated, even though she wasn't sure if she believed it.

"Why would Saren want to bring back the machines that supposedly wiped out all life in the galaxy?" the Turian growled skeptically, and Shepard found herself agreeing with him. "That doesn't make sense. It's impossible; it has to be. Where did they go, why did they vanish? If they were real, we would have some trace of their existence. We would have found something."

As far as Shepard was concerned, there were two possibilities. One, that the councilor was right and the Reapers were a myth; a fairytale Saren used to dupe a race of AI's into believing in enough to become his own private army. The second option was that the Reapers were real and they not only managed to wipe out the Protheans, but also all evidence of their own existence; they then somehow managed to seduce a Spectre into their service. She wasn't sure which was more terrifying. Though, if the first option was correct, then what could she make of her visions? They certainly seemed to support the option that the Reapers were real.

"The Reapers are obviously a myth," the Salarian added, "a lie he's using to cover his motives and secure the allegiance of the geth."

"What about Saren?" she spoke up. He was the reason she was here in the first place, and she hated leaving unfinished business. "He's still a traitor." She paused for a second, before adding, "A traitor with an army of geth at his command."

"Yes," Udina shouted, taking the foreground again. "That criminal is still out there. You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse," he made a clenching motion with his fist. "Send your fleet after him!"

Shepard glanced at him with a look of shock clearly etched on her face. Did he really understand what he was asking the Council to do? While the Attican Traverse was technically a part of Council space, it bordered the widely unstable Terminus systems. She wanted Saren badly, but she wouldn't start a war with the Terminus systems to do it.

"A fleet cannot track down one man," the Salarian said as if speaking to a small child.

Udina relented, and Shepard saw some of the fight drain out of him as his shoulders sagged. "A fleet could secure the Traverse and keep the geth from attacking any more human colonies." That was a far more valid point, Shepard mused, but she still didn't think it would fly at the moment. The Council wouldn't be willing to march until they were sure the geth were on the warpath.

"Or it could start a war with the Terminus systems," the Turian councilor exclaimed. The others let him speak, probably because any Citadel fleet would most likely be made up of a majority of Turian ships and units. "We won't be dragged into a war over a few human colonies."

"There is another way," the Asari interrupted. "One that doesn't require fleets or armies."

The Turian's eyes went wide and his mandibles flared. No doubt he realized that his argument had just provided a perfect opportunity for the elevation of a human Spectre. Shepard realized it too, and closed her eyes and brought her hand to her forehead. She had still been hoping to avoid the whole Spectre thing, and she wasn't particularly thrilled with what was being thrust upon her. Still, her whole life she had had the notion of duty drilled into her. Straightening her back, she waited for what she knew was coming.

"It's too soon," the Turian feebly argued. "Humanity isn't ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

"I can do it," she stated firmly. "I'm an N7 Special Forces Operator, and a damn fine officer. I'm the only one to command a team to fight the geth in over two hundred years. I saved the colony on Eden Prime, and uncovered Saren's treachery." She gritted her teeth. "I may not like it, but I'm capable of doing it."

The Asari and the Salarian looked at each other before nodding, and eventually the Turian nodded as well. The Asari councilor straightened, coming to her full height. "Commander Shepard," she spoke, her melodious voice echoing through the chamber. "Step forward."

Schooling her features into an impassive mask, she did so. She was about to become something she seriously disliked, and had previously held in contempt. She was going to join a group she felt was fundamentally immoral and unjust. She was doing this all for the sake of duty. As she took that step, she became aware that the general hum of activity died down as the beings in the room focused on her and the momentous event taking place.

"It is the decision of this Council," the Asari said, "that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactic and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

The Salarian spoke next. "Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fires of service and battle; those whose actions have elevated them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are a symbol," the Asari spoke again. "An ideal. They are the embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, and the instrument of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden," the Turian intoned grudgingly. "They are the protectors of galactic peace; our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre," the Asari stated solemnly. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

Shepard took a deep breath, came to attention, and saluted. She was fully aware of what this meant for mankind, and for herself in particular. The eyes of the galaxy were upon her. Everyone with a grudge, or a reason to try to hold humanity back, was looking to her to fail. As an N7 Special Forces Operator, she had thrived in operating in secrecy and from the shadows. Spectres attracted attention, and she wasn't sure she was going to like that.

"I have one question," she said, dropping her salute, and the Councilors nodded to her to continue. "Do I get a badge?"

Authors note:

_Also if you want a mental image of what I think my Shepard looks like think of Katee Sackhoff aka Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica._

_Goose-stepping is a military drill where soldiers in formation bring their legs and arms up ninety degrees when marching. Think Russians and Nazis soldiers marching._

_Who else notice that Garrus only had something like a day to conduct an investigation of Saren? I'm no cop but that seems like an incredibly short time to build a case against someone let alone someone who has the authority and powers of a Spectre._

_Also as you probably know I don't like the Spectres. I don't like the idea of a government organization operating on the principal that they are above the law. I think no matter how carefully you select the members of said organization that eventual it will become a force of oppression. That is the reason most police have systems of oversight and account ability to prevent abuse of power. It's like the old saying goes: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely _

_While Shepard was Alliance black ops, that doesn't mean she was above the law. She did bad things for good reasons, with full knowledge that what she was doing was criminal according to the rule of laws. Spectres, on the other hand, can do whatever they want with no repercussions. That's the difference between black ops units and the Spectres._


	4. Chapter 3: The Doctor

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 3: The Doctor

The SSV Normandy - the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy, commanded by the Citadel Council's newest Spectre Operative Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Shepard - sailed through the blackness of interstellar space. They had set sail from the Citadel over a week ago, with orders to enter the Traverse and bring the disbarred Spectre Saren back to the Council for trial. Or, if that couldn't be accomplished, she was to put him down.

While Shepard was excited to get back into the field, she did feel bad that Captain Anderson had had his chair pulled out from under him. Getting your command taken away because of political factors sucked - getting your command taken away period sucked - but being done in by back room deals sucked worse. While she had command of the Normandy, she mostly let Pressly, her XO, run the ship. She did this for two reasons. The first was that she was an N7, and had never before in her Naval career commanded an actual ship. The second reason was that Pressly was a fine officer and had served on ships longer than she had been alive. He knew how to run a ship and she would let him do it.

The first planet the newly minted Spectre had chosen to investigate was the planet of Therum where, according to the anthropology department of the Academy of Thessia, Doctor Liara T'Soni - a leading expert on the Protheans - was researching newly discovered Prothean ruins.

While Shepard loved fossils as much as the next girl, that wasn't the sole reason she was going. Dr. T'Soni was the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, who the Salarian Intelligence Services had confirmed as working for Saren. Shepard was hoping T'Soni could lead them to her mother, who in turn could lead them to Saren. She also hoped to deny Saren whatever expertise the doctor possessed. It was a long shot, but it was the only lead they had.

However, this mission had already hit a snag before it even started. The dig site on Therum had gone dark shortly after Saren had been disbarred from the Spectres, which she doubted was a coincidence. Now she had to extract a target, which may or may not be friendly, from a situation she knew nothing about. She just hoped the stealth systems were as good as Joker and the eggheads bragged.

"Commander." Joker's voice came over the comm and Shepard looked up from her desk, which was covered with the disassembled parts of her M-8 assault rifle.

Setting the weapon's charging handle and an oil stained rag down, she stood from her chair and walked over to the intercom, and pressed the button with her elbow so not to touch the device with her gun oil covered hands. "Shepard here," she said. "What's up lieutenant?"

"We've just entered the Knossos System and are forty minutes out from Therum," Joker reported.

"Very good," Shepard replied. They had made excellent time from the Artemis Tau relay. "Make sure the stealth system is engaged, and set the best possible speed for the planet. Once we're there, settle us into a geosynchronous orbit over the dig site and fire up the cameras." The Normandy was after all an infiltration and spy craft. Therefore the ship was equipped with the most sophisticated surveillance available. "I want detailed maps of the dig site and surrounding terrain. If there is even a single geth I want to know about it."

"Aye, commander," he said. "Anything else?"

"Yes," she said, pausing for a second before adding, "once the intelligence gathering activities are completed have Lieutenant Alenko, Gunnery Sergeant Williams, and our guests meet up in the situation room." On this ship the situation room also doubled as the comm room for receiving and sending high level communiqués. "That will be all, Lieutenant. Shepard out."

With that, she closed the comm and headed back over to her desk and back to work. Reaching down, she grabbed the bolt and the firing pin and reinserted the pin back into the bolt. She grabbed the handle and held the stock beneath her arm for leverage.

The M-8, for easily repair and maintenance, only had a few parts that needed to be taken out and cleaned. Most of those were accessible when the gun was broke down in two main pieces. There was a button on the right side of the gun that, when pressed, allowed the front half of the gun to swivel down on a hinge.

With practiced ease she grabbed the charging handle and slid it back into place before replacing the bolt in the weapon. Reaching down, she grabbed the bottom of the rifle and snapped it up so it clicked secure. Pulling on it, she made sure it was latched before pulling back on the charging handle to cycle the weapon. Shouldering it, she switched the weapon off safe and dry-fired. Hearing a satisfying click, which meant it was working fine, she flicked the safety back on and laid it down on the table.

She glanced quickly at the clock and decided she had enough time to strip down for a nice hot shower before giving the mission briefing. She smiled as she thought of a shower. As the ship's 'captain' she got her own private shower and, while it was still comparatively small, it was a luxury that someone who had spent their life in the military appreciated.

Divesting herself of her fatigues and under garments, she slipped into the shower and cranked up the heat. She let the steaming water cascade over her, soothing her aching muscles. Shepard braced her hands against opposite walls of the shower so she could take some pressure off her left leg. She and Garrus had had a rather heated sparring match and even though she came out on top, he had left a rather nasty looking bruise on her left thigh.

Garrus. His name brought a small smirk to her lips. She hadn't had so much fun and allowed herself to relax with someone for a long time - ever since her divorce, in fact. The smirk disappeared with the thought of her divorce and her late husband. She had meet the bastard in her second year in the academy and had a whirlwind romance, before they were married a semester before she graduated.

Upon graduating he'd received a position with the 1st Fleet, also known as the "Home-Guard," and she had gone to train for a position as a N7. The separation had been rough, but she been eagerly waiting their reunion. On her winter furlough she had wanted to surprise him and visit him on Earth, but when she walked into his on-base apartment she found him screwing some Marine bitch.

She'd been devastated; she had really loved him, but his betrayal was something she couldn't forgive. She had served him with the divorce papers not a week later, and had been a free woman within two. In the years since then she must have had only one or two dates, and never anything serious. Hell, she mused, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd had sex more meaningful than a lay in a hotel room to relive an itch.

She wasn't sure what it was about Garrus, but she just had the innate feeling that she could trust him.

XXX

The roar of a rifle firing and the pinging sounds of hits being scored filled the firing range of the Normandy. Garrus frowned as he flicked the safety on his rifle and ordered, "Recover."

A hologram appeared showing him his shot groupings. It had been a while since his military and Special Response Team days, and he hadn't necessarily kept up with his sniper practice as much as he would have liked. The grouping was closer than last time, but a few of the shots had been wide of the preferred fist sized grouping.

Slowly Garrus adjusted the sights on the M-97 Viper he had appropriated from the Normandy's armory. When he was satisfied with the sights, he braced his elbow on the counter and shouldered the rifle. "Reset the target to nine hundred meters," he called out, and the VI reset the target and shrunk it to the appropriate size to simulate a target at 900 meters.

900 meters was about half the effective maximum of the M-29, but for the moment it was unlikely that he'd have to engage anything at greater distances than 900 meters. Garrus breathed deeply and slowly as he centered his scope's cross hairs over the center of his target. He took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The gun jolted slightly as the weapon discharged and the round flew down range. He exhaled and when he was out of breath he fired again. He alternated firing at the top and bottom of each breath until he had fired ten rounds in fairly quick succession.

"Recover," he said again, laying his weapon on the table in front of him and pulling off his ear protection. The hologram appeared before him, and he evaluated the holes. These shots had been much closer. Each shot had landed within less than an inch from his intended target, and in a pattern smaller than a human fist.

Flicking the safety back on, he removed the thermal clip and the ammunition block from the rifle before replacing it back in its case. After he made sure the rifle was secure in its case, he stood and left the range behind him and started heading back to his quarters. He was settling into life on the Normandy quite well. At first the architecture of the ship had been surprisingly familiar, until he had been told that the ships had been jointly designed with the Turian Navy.

Shepard had made him feel right at home on the Normandy and he appreciated it. He enjoyed spending time with the human female, Shepard. She was a fascinating individual and they were a lot alike. The other crew members made him uneasy. The other humans seemed to always be watching him for any signs of treachery. After the investigation he'd barely said three words to the Quarian, who had spent most of her time down in the engine room. The Krogan their Commander had picked up, on the other hand, he avoided. The relationship between the Turians and Krogans was even more strained than the relationship between Turians and humans.

The Krogan blamed the Turians for unleashing the genophage, despite the fact that the Krogan had been ruthlessly attacking other species in what had been known as the Krogan Rebellions. With all conventional options failing against the unending hordes, the Turians had unleashed the Salarian-designed plague on their enemy. The effect of the genophage made only one in a thousand pregnancies viable, and was intended to combat the Krogans' fast reproductive rates. Unable to maintain the numbers they needed to fight the Citadel races, the Krogan surrendered. Even though the war had been over for nearly two thousand years, the Krogan were still deeply bitter about the result.

"Watch it, Turian," a deep voice rumbled from in front of him; the voice belonged to Wrex, the Krogan Battlemaster Shepard had picked up after she'd been made a Spectre. Apparently the ancient Krogan had been hired by the Shadow Broker to kill Fist for his betrayal. He wasn't sure what the Krogan said to Shepard, but the Spectre had agreed to allow him to assist in her hunt for Saren

Garrus grit his teeth, his muscles tensing as testosterone filled the air. "Maybe you should watch where you're going Krogan," he hissed back, not backing down one bit. The Turian and the Krogan were about equal in height, but Wrex had far more mass than he did and was physically stronger.

"You got a quad, bird boy," the Krogan growled as he advanced on him in a primal showdown between alpha males.

Dropping his hand to the knife on his waist, the brief thought passed through his head that Shepard wouldn't be happy if they killed each other. However, he didn't have to worry about that as both his and Wrex's omni-tools came to life. "Vakarian, Wrex," the voice of the pilot Joker said over the comm, "the Commander wants you two in the situation room for a briefing."

"Roger that, Joker," Garrus responded, his gaze never leaving the Krogan's. "We'll be there on the double. Vakarian out."

"Don't think this is over, Turian," the scarred Krogan spat as he turned and stomped off.

"I'd be disappointed if it was," he grumbled back, clenching his claws tight.

XXX

Commander Shepard stood at the front of the comm room as the chairs filled completely up. A brief glance around the room confirmed that her team was all here: Lieutenant Alenko, Gunnery Sergeant Williams, Officer Vakarian, Urdnot Wrek, and Tali' Zorah nar Rayya.

"Alright everyone, turn your ears on," she called out, silencing the buzz of chatter around the room. With a click of her little remote the lights dimmed, and the holographic representation of a dull brown world appeared. "This is Therum," she clicked again, and the picture of a young Asari appeared. "This is doctor Liara T'Soni. She's Matriarch Benezia's daughter, and so far our only lead."

"Are we here to pick up the doctor?" Shepard heard Garrus ask.

"Originally that was the plan, but we've lost contact with the dig site," she sighed and clicked again, bringing up a detailed map of three square kilometers around the dig site. "High altitude recon photos have detected geth placements here, here and here," she informed, clicking the remote three times to zoom in on each individual position.

The holographic photos showed dozens of geth troopers, as well as heavy turrets and mounted weapon placements, "The geth have clustered most of their defenses around the three passes into the valley that holds the dig site. We're not sure of the exact numbers of geth present, but we've estimated somewhere around company strength levels."

"We're gonna split into two teams," Shepard said, stepping forward and circling the area in front of the entrance to the underground dig site with her finger. "The first team will be the extraction team and will consist of myself, Williams, and Vakarian. We're going to conduct a HALO jump from low orbit, and clear and LZ for the rest of you in the M-35. Once the rest of you land, the extraction team and I will enter the facility and find the doctor while the rest of you hold the fort."

"What's an M-35?" Wrex grumbled from his seat.

Instead of answering herself, Shepard caught the eye of a man in the back of the room wearing the standard tan camouflaged fatigues of the Alliance Army. "Sergeant Ryan," she called out, and waved the Army man forward. "Ryan's the M-35 commander right out of the 23rd Mechanized Infantry Division."

"Thank ya kindly for the introduction, ma'am," the Army man said in a slow southern draw. "Alright," he continued, and the imaged changed from the dig-site terrain to an image off a six wheeled armored vehicle. "This is the M-35 all-terrain infantry fighting vehicle, equipped with a one hundred-fifty-five millimeter cannon and co-axially mounted machine gun. She's the toughest, meanest little bitch on the battlefield," he paused, smiling. "We like to call her… the Mako."

"Why Mako?" Alenko asked.

"Huh?" the sergeant asked, looking confused at the young LT. "What was that?"

Alenko had the good grace to look embarrassed for a second, before leaning forward gesturing at the IFV. "It just doesn't look like a shark."

The sergeant clicked his teeth together. "When dropped from a frigate or other ships, three stabilizing wings deploy from the Mako to keep it right-side up" He manipulated the remote and three fins extended from the sides and top of the IFV. "These wings," he explained, "look like fins, and what kind of animal has fins?"

"A walrus?"Alenko responded, and Shepard felt like slapping her head.

"Regardless," Shepard interrupted, "the Mako will provide a serious firepower advantage to the holding team. Let me repeat, the rest of you are to hold the area while the extraction team finds the doctor." She looked over every single one of them: Alenko, Tali, Wrex and the Mako commander and his driver. "I want no heroics," she paused, flipping the hologram back to the map. "Any more questions?"

XXX

Saren Arterius paced restlessly through his chambers on his massive flagship. He was still waiting for confirmation from the Therum Task Force, growing restless with his geth and Krogan minions. He had dispatched a force of nearly five hundred geth troopers to Therum to secure Doctor Liara T'Soni. He had received a report nearly sixteen hours ago that they had landed and were rounding up the dig site personnel, but hadn't yet secured T'Soni. Didn't those machines understand they had to move quickly, before the Council and Sheaprd figured out what he was doing?

Without the Conduit, he was vulnerable. His forces were great, but not enough to overwhelm the full might of the Citadel Fleet and the combined forces of the Asari Republics, Turian Hierarchy, Salarian Union and the Human System Alliance. Even if the project on Virmire succeeded in curing the genophage, he would still lack the ships to create a Krogan Armada. Everything depended on him finding the Conduit, and that would be much easier with one of the foremost experts on the Protheans working for him. If Shepard found her first…

Saren roared and smashed his fist into the wall plating when he thought of that stuck up human female. His nostrils flared as he thought of a filthy human joining the Spectres. The organization that had so long protected galactic peace had allowed itself to be tainted by allowing one of those uncivilized creatures in. Humans were a threat to the established order of Citadel Space; they were too impulsive, undisciplined, and power hungry.

Those traits made them powerful and extraordinarily dangerous.

XXX

Shepard tasted blood in her mouth as she pushed herself off the ground from where she landed. Shrugging her mass effect pack off her back, she glanced around looking for Garrus and Williams. She saw them not forty meters away; Garrus was pulling his sniper rifle from its shockproof dropcase, while Williams unhooked her rifle and took up a defensive position.

Scanning the area, Shepard quickly found the heavy weapons crate the Normandy had dropped with them. Racing to it, she was acutely aware of the mission clock counting down until the Normandy circled back and dropped the second team in the Mako. Undoing the latches on the crate, she opened the the lid and retrieved a Mark II Jackhammer Twin Tube Portable Rocket System Launcher and shouldered it.

They had dropped in on the mountain which the dig site was built into - and also happened to be behind the geth lines. Their objective, as previously stated, was to clear the LZ for the Mako. "Sound off," Shepard said. She used her helmet's voice amplifier instead of the helmet comm systems, in case the geth could pick up the fact that something was transmitting.

"Good to go, Shepard," Garrus said, cradling his rifle.

"Five by Five, skipper," Williams added, flashing the Commander a thumbs up.

"Follow me," she said, just loud enough to be heard. Shepard had done a lot of ballsy things in her career, but this was up there. Carefully, the Commander led her team the click and a half towards the dig site. She wished she could have landed closer to the site, but she had been worried about the geth picking up her energy trail.

When they arrived at a ridge she gave a quick hand signal, and Williams and Garrus flattened themselves along the ridge right next to her. Glancing down into the area around the dig site she saw about a dozen geth infantry on patrol, and two larger four legged geth walkers that the Normandy's intel officer had classified as a light tank.

Steadying her breath, Shepard unslung the Jackhammer and aimed through the electronic sight. Due to the sophistication of radar jamming and ECM, shoulder fired guided rockets had become impractical. The computing power to fight past the ECM was simply too expensive to easily mass produce. Instead, Alliance weapon designers had switched focus from guiding the rocket in flight, to making sure it was fired on the right path from the moment it left the tube. The problem was that launchers now required a clear line of slight to fire, but the advantage it gained was that the rocket couldn't be jammed.

An alarm chimed in her head as the targeting computer confirmed Shepard was aiming the weapon correctly to ensure a hit. With her right thumb, she depressed the firing stud and with a 'whoosh' the rocket left the tube toward its target. As Shepard shifted her aim she heard the bark of Garrus's rifle, and the tat, tat, tat of Williams's assault rifle open up. The alarm in her helmet chimed again and again she depressed the firing stud.

The two rockets sailed through the air, the first detonating mere moments before the second rocket. The two four-legged geth exploded - as they were struck by several pounds of high yield explosives a piece - in a hail of shrapnel which brutally cut down several geth that were standing too close, turning them into scrap metal.

Shepard smiled as she watched the fireball, and placed the targeting computer portion of the launcher in one of her pouch pockets; the computer, unlike the tube, was reusable. Bringing her hand to the side of her head, she opened a comm channel to the Mako team still on the Normandy. "Normandy, this is Shepard. You're clear to drop!"

"Roger that Commander," Joker's static filled voice replied. "Approaching LZ!"

She could tell that from the roar of the Normandy's engines as it dove in, and Shepard saw the Mako burst free from the ship's cargo hold. "Move, move, move!" Shepard shouted as she stood, unclipping her rifle and shouldering it, firing as she and her team rushed down the hill towards the Mako.

Blue thrusters flared as the Mako fired its retro rockets to slow itself down for a landing. Moments later the IFV landed, and Shepard winced as it looked like the Mako had hit the ground really hard. Though far from squeamish, Shepard felt her stomach do a little flip and decided she wasn't looking forward to her first drop in that thing.

The machine gun roared as it cut down the few geth that remained in a devastatingly merciless hail of bullets, which tore through the synthetics like a hot knife through butter. When the last geth fell, the smoking gun fell silent. "All clear, Commander," the Mako commander said.

The back of the Mako popped open and a ramp lowered from which Alenko, Wrek and Tali emerged, weapons held at the ready. Once they were out the Mako's ramp snapped closed and the wheels began to spin and the Mako took off to find a good defensive position.

"Alenko," Shepard barked, "hold the fort." She looked around at the terrain. "I'm counting on you to hold our exit." Sergeant Ryan had taken the Mako behind some rubble so that only the turret was visible. There were ample positions for Alenko's team to take cover and hold up a significant force for a long time. "If we're not back in twenty…"

"We'll wait twenty more," he said, a hard look in his eyes and a determined tone in his voice.

"Negative," Shepard ordered, and when the Lt looked like he would argue she said, putting the weight of command behind her voice, "if we're not back in twenty, get the Normandy on the horn and call for evac. That's an order, Lieutenant."

Slowly Alenko grumbled, "Yes ma'am."

Satisfied ,Shepard nodded and motioned her team to follow her. As every second counted she led her team quickly up the ramp to the entrance of the underground dig site. She pressed a button to open the door, but instead of the doors sliding open, they merely groaned instead. Taking a closer look at the door, she found to her dismay that they were welded shut. "Dammit," she growled, as she handed her gun off to Williams.

Pulling a small block of C-12 plastic explosive from one of the pouches on her belt, she stuck it on the center of the door and plugged a detonator into it. "Take cover," she ordered, and she moved to a safe distance before activating her remote detonator built into her omni-tool.

The explosion rattled her teeth and blew the steel door to little bits. Shepard had her team rush up to the entrance and advance. "Watch your flanks," she whispered as they made their way down a long tunnel, scanning the area with her rifle.

The team entered a large underground cavern filled with metal scaffolding. They moved carefully and silently, their weapons in constant motion looking for threats from above or below. Shepard wasn't sure whether the geth had breached the facility or not. The doors had been welded shut after all, but she wasn't about to take a risk with her team members lives.

They came to a railing overlooking the whole operation, and Shepard briefly considered rappelling down it to the bottom of the cave. There was a freight elevator a hundred meters down the side, but she knew that if something went south and the geth were here then killing her team would be easier than shooting fish in a barrel. They would rappel. "Hook up," she ordered, and she attached her anchoring line to the railing. "Cover me while I go."

Williams and Garrus raised their rifles, while she gave one last tug on her line before swinging her legs over the rail and jumping. The drop was about 150 meters, but Shepard used her left hand to control the rate of her descent while she tucked the butt of her rifle underneath her right arm.

After a few seconds her boots hit the ground, and she quickly undid the line connected to her belt. Kneeling behind a large crate, she raised her rifle to cover her squad mates as they came down after her. She still didn't see anything, and she wasn't sure if that should be making her feel relieved or nervous. Their recon reports had shown the geth crawling all over the surface.

Williams came down after her, and Garrus after Williams. When she heard Garrus's boots hit the floor, she signaled them forward and they advanced.

"What do think that is, Shepard?" Garrus whispered as he gestured to the large object in the middle of the cavern.

She had seen it as well; you'd have to be blind to miss it. It was an enormous cylinder on some sort of base, with a large control panel. "It's a drill," she said, with sudden realization. She'd seen the Army Corp of Engineers use smaller ones before, but she had never seen one this big. What they hell were they doing?

"Damn," Williams hissed. "What the hell were they digging for…? Godzilla?"

"Shhh," Shepard said, raising her hand. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. Even though the helmet would provide equal 360 degree sound coverage and she didn't actually need to tilt her head, it was an instinctual movement. She thought she heard a voice. "Do you hear that?"

Both Williams and Garrus stopped and listened as well. After a few seconds, Garrus turned to her. "I hear someone yelling," he paused, before gesturing down the cavern. "That way."

As Turians had more sensitive hearing than humans, she trusted him. They carefully moved across the cavern floor. "Hello, is anyone there?" Shepard heard a voice call out, "Hello?" Quickly determining the direction the sound was coming from, she turned to Garrus and Williams. She jabbed her right index finger up into the air twice, signaling they had to go up.

Shepard took point and found a staircase to the next level, all the while watching carefully for traps and ambushes. She cleared the rise of the floor and as she did, she frowned. She saw an Asari in a lab coat suspended in some kind of kinetic barrier. Shepard smirked. "Well, what do we have here?" she said as she stepped up onto the floor.

"Um, hello," the suspended Asari stuttered.

"Dr. T'Soni, I presume," Garrus rumbled in his reverberating voice.

As Garrus and Williams chatted up the doctor, Shepard moved off slightly and opened up a comm channel to Alenko. "Lieutenant," she called, "give me a sitrep."

"It's getting pretty dicey up here, Commander," she heard Alenko's voice shout back, the sounds of weapon discharges echoing in the background. "I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out!"

"Damn it," Shepard cursed angrily. "Alright Lieutenant, call the Normandy for extraction." She knew that the Normandy could come in and use her point defense laser cannons to rip the geth a new one, but it was a one trick pony. She doubted they could do it twice before the geth rolled up some triple A and shot them out of the sky like a clay pigeon.

"What about you?" she heard Alenko shout back.

"Hold," she told him before turning back to the doc. "T'Soni, is there any other way out of here other than through the front door?" she barked.

The doctor nodded rapidly. "Behind me, there's a tram that will take us to an exit about three kilometers due north. There's a small outpost there, but we don't use it much. It should still be set up."

Shepard nodded in thanks and consulted her omni-tol, "Alright Lieuteniant, evac out and have the Normandy meet us at a small outpost in grid four-two-five-niner by six-three-eight one," she said rattling off the outpost's approximate coordinates. "Roger that?"

"Roger four-two-five-niner by six-three-eight one," Alenko repeated. "We'll see you soon, Commander."

"Just get your team out in one piece," she said. "Shepard out." The Commander then turned to look at the doctor. "Now we just need to get you out, doctor." She paused, looking at each of them in turn. "…Well?"

"We have to get to the control panel," Garrus said, though there was something off about his tone

"Where is it?" she asked, looking around for said panel.

"On the other side of the field," Williams answered, looking down at her boots while shifting on her feet.

"How do we get there?" she asked, somewhat annoyed at them for dancing around the real question.

Garrus and Williams looked at one another before Garrus eventually said, "I have an idea." Shepard nodded, and he continued, "This structure is multi-stories high. The doctor thinks there is at least one more level below this one so…"

"We can use this mining laser to bore a hole to the lower level," Shepard supplied. Well, that was just crazy enough to work. "Fine, let's do it."

XXX

Weyrloc Kalusk, the Krogan Battlemaster assigned by the rogue Spectre, waited impatiently at the end of the passage that led to the dig site. He'd been trying for the last fifteen hours to get into the damned structure, but a powerful impenetrable kinetic barrier had stood in his way.

At first he had been furious when the Alliance showed up, and fearful of a large scale counter attack on his forces. Instead of an infantry or armor battalion raining hellfire on his ass, he found that a commando unit had slipped behind his lines to snatch the doctor out from under his nose.

In a moment of tactical brilliance he decided to throw the full weight of his geth forces at the commandos holding the front entrance, while taking a small element of shock troopers and waiting at the small outpost at the backdoor to the facility. Now all he had to do was wait for the commandos to bring the doctor to him.

Grinning eagerly, he pumped his oversized shotgun. It'd been too long since he had had a real fight. Work for the Blood Pack just wasn't satisfying. Breaking knees and muscling in on the Blue Suns and Eclipse territory on Omega, while certainly dangerous, held little appeal for the seven hundred year old Krogan warrior.

Though too young to have fought in the Rachni Wars, he had fought right near the end of the Rebellions - just in time to see the Turians snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by using the genophage bioweapon. At night he still dreamed of the glory of his youth. Saren offered him that, and more. He thirsted for combat, and the Spectre would provide it. The fact that Saren offered to cure the genophage only increased his appetite for blood and battle. He was curious why the Spectre would hand what amounted to a loaded gun to a species that would most likely turn on him as soon as this was through.

The Battlemaster stomped up the stairs to the backdoor entrance to the underground dig site, shotgun held ready in his hands. The door swished open and he strode through, his head on a swivel as he looked for targets. A sound came to his ears - a screeching, whirling sound and somehow he just knew that battle was near.

"Set the charges."

XXX

The ancient tram groaned and moaned as it slid along its route. Shepard gritted her teeth; she was half afraid it would fail from the seismic disturbances the mining laser had set off, or simply from old age. The structure shook again as a tremor hit, and Shepard braced herself against the wall.

Finally, the lift came to a screeching halt and the door ground open. Shepard took one side of the door while Garrus took the other side. Shepard caught his eyes and mouthed, on three. Garrus nodded, cycling the bolt on his rifle. Shepard held up one finger, two, then three. When she reached the third she dropped her hand back to the grip on her rifle and shouldered it, pivoting into the room beyond.

"Clear," she heard Garrus say calmly, and he dropped the barrel to aim at the ground.

"Clear," she repeated as she entered, letting the barrel drop. They entered a large chamber a hundred square meters wide, supported by four massive stone pillars fifteen meters apart. She saw a steel blast door, put in by the archaeologists to protect the ruins from the elements.

As the team made their way towards the door, Shepard fell back and raised her hand to her helmet, "Joker, what's your ETA?" she questioned.

"Less than a minute, Commander," he responded.

"Good," she said. "Keep your eyes peeled-" she started to say. The last few minutes of any mission were often among the most dangerous. When you were tired, spent and ready for it to be over you let down your guard, and that was when the likelihood of mistakes and death increased.

But her sentence was cut off when the door exploded inward in a shower of shrapnel and heat. Shepard felt the pressure wave strike her and threw her on her back. Shepard groaned, but quickly shook the haze from her eyes and scrambled for her rifle which had landed a few feet from her. She managed to grab her weapon just in time to see a pair of geth climb through the rubble. Shepard turned her avenger on the geth, pressing down on the trigger and sending a hail of metal streaming into the first geth. It tumbled to the floor twitching and sparking. She shifted to aim at the second when it was cut down from three shots from Garrus's rifle.

Managing to get to her feet and behind one of the pillars despite the pain it caused, she shouldered her rifle. She quickly glanced and saw that the gunny had rounded up the doctor, and was making a B-line back to the elevator to protect the assets they'd come all this way to achieve. Garrus had slung his rifle and drawn his side-arm. Shepard noticed he had removed his helmet and cast it to the floor. She also observed that there was a small trickle of blue blood from his mouth, and he was favoring his right leg.

She took a glance around the pillar and saw a heavily armored Krogan and two more white-plated geth storm the room. Shepard felt her stomach drop as she saw the lizard creature. Alliance tactics for dealing with Krogan was to engage with superior numbers from multiple angles, and overwhelm them with superior firepower. Briefly she wished she had brought a loud-out of incendiary or explosive rounds, but wishing wasn't going to do anything about her current situation.

She heard a crackle of fire from Williams' position just before the Krogan lit up in an aura of blue biotic energy and threw a pulsating blue ball towards the gunny. Shepard ground her teeth; a Battlemaster, that was the last thing she needed. The ball hit the gunny and threw her through the air back to where she came from.

Taking a deep breath, she spun from cover and put the Krogan in her sights. Instead of firing short burst like she did when she targeted other hostiles, she fired the avenger on full auto. The rounds tore through the Krogan's kinetic barriers and pinged off his armor. Shepard cursed but kept firing, and this time several slugs made it through the armor. Still, it would take more than that to bring down a Krogan.

The Krogan turned to her and roared angrily as blood oozed from several wounds. He raised the barrel of his oversized shotgun and fired. Shepard ducked back behind the masonry as the round shattered a good portion of the pillar she was hiding behind. "Fuck," she swore, as another round tore into the masonry. She glanced at Garrus, but quickly saw he had his own problems dealing with the geth.

Shepard realized that she couldn't stay here as a shot echoed throughout the chamber. Reaching down to her belt with her left hand, she grabbed a flash grenade from her belt and lobbed it around the corner. She waited until the flash bang detonated then spun, rifle raised.

"Fuck," she whispered again as she saw the barrel of the heavy shotgun less than three meters away, aimed straight at her. The Krogan grinned savagely and pulled the trigger. Shepard would have sworn that a train had just hit her in the stomach. Her kinetic barriers flared, absorbing most of the force of the shot, but it still hurt like a mother. She was thrown back from the blast, gasping as the wind was knocked from her lungs, and she was sure some of her ribs were broken.

She lifted her head and saw the big Krogan pump his weapon again and his face twisted in an odd perversion of a human smile. Shepard went for her side-arm. She had no idea where her rifle had landed, but doubted she would make it. The only reason she was able to draw the hand cannon was that Garrus had dealt with the geth, and begun peppering the Krogan with his pistol.

Shepard fired two shots at the underside of its jaw. The Krogan's head snapped back, before he lunged forward with a raised leg to stomp her into the ground. Shepard rolled to her right just in time to see the enormous boot smash into the ground where she had been, shattering the stone below. Lashing out with her right leg she connected with the back of the Krogan's hind leg, sweeping it out from under him and causing the Krogan to crash to the floor.

In a smooth motion Shepard straddled the Krogan and shoved the hand cannon in his roaring mouth. For a moment their eyes meet; the Krogan's were filled with hate and rage, while her own were filled with cold professionalism. Krogan had multiple organs and other biological redundancies, but one thing they didn't have was a secondary brain. She pulled the trigger.

Click.

She froze for a second, praying to a God she wasn't sure she believed it that that wasn't what she just heard. She pulled the trigger again.

Click… click… click click click.

Though Shepard had no way of knowing, a sliver of metal from the shotgun blast had embedded itself inside the right hand side of the weapon. While not enough to immediately disable the pistol, the sliver had been jolted by the first couple shots enough to cause the automatic safeties in the weapon to disable it.

An evil glow entered the Krogan's eyes. His massive jaws and dagger-like teeth clamped down around the pistol, crunching it like a potato chip. Shepard barely managed to extract her hand, but before she could leap away the Battlemaster gripped her by the throat and hurled her overhead.

Shepard sailed a few meters through the air, and threw her arms up in front of her to brace herself as she hit the floor. Propping herself up and ignoring the pain she felt, she tried to crawl away. She only made it a few feet before she felt a large hand close around her ankle, and she was lifted off the ground and swung like a baseball bat into the closest pillar.

XXX

"Shepard," Garrus shouted, terrified, when he saw the Krogan slam Shepard into one of the pillars. Pressing up against another pillar, he holstered his weapon. Unslinging his viper rifle, the Turian clicked off the safety.

Emerging from his cover, Garrus sighted the Krogan. The beast was oozing copious amounts of blood from the wound Shepard had inflicted on him and would probably bleed out eventually, but not before going into a blood rage and killing the rest of them.

Leveling the viper, he took aim when the Krogan lit up and threw a biotic push at him. Garrus hurled himself out of the way, tucking his head as he rolled back to his feet. He winced as it put pressure on his bad leg. Not having the time to aim properly, he swung his rifle and fired at nearly point blank range at the charging Krogan.

The first high power armor-piercing round tore through the air and the Krogan's arm in a shower of blood and armor. The Krogan howled, a howl that reminded Garrus of the karass beast that used to hunt the primitive Turians on their homeworld, and charged at him. He made to fire again, but the Krogan reached out with his intact arm and batted the rifle away so it discharged uselessly.

The Krogan brought his head down viciously colliding with Garrus's, causing the Turian to see stars. Garrus brought his free hand up, the one not holding the rifle, and slashed his claws across the Krogan's face. They caught one of his eyes and ripped it from its socket. The Krogan roared in pain and slammed him into one of the pillars, but Garrus hung on despite the crushing weight being pressed up against him and dug his thumb talon deeper into the Krogan's skull.

Garrus realized that if this kept up he wouldn't make it much longer, so he took a gamble. Dropping the rifle, which was useless because he couldn't bring it to bear, he swiftly drew his slightly sickle-shaped Turian combat knife and with all his might plunged it into the Battlemaster's brain. He savagely twisted and pulled at it untill the Krogan's grip grew slack and it died.

Coughing as his lungs were able to fill once more to full capacity, he slumped to the ground breathing heavily. He took a few moments to catch his breath before crawling over to where Shepard was lying very still. Removing her helmet, he found that her blond hair was matted and plastered to her face. She was still breathing, which was good, and her eyes were open, which was also good. However, deep crimson blood was seeping from the sides of her mouth and was running freely from her nose. That was not at all good.

"You all right?" he asked, a slight tremor in his tone, holding her head up in his hands.

Her azure blue eyes focused in on him. "Stupid question," she grumbled, before her pained features softened. "Thanks for asking though." She paused for a second, and her pink tongue darted out from her mouth to wet her lips. "Help me up," she said wearily.

Garrus hesitated. He didn't know much about human physiology, but he was sure that moving her wasn't a good idea. He opened his mouth to say so when the facility shook again and he snapped his mouth closed. "Williams, doctor, we have to get out of here," he said as he threw her right arm over his shoulder and pulled her off the floor, careful not to move her head more than was necessary.

"Coming," the gunnery sergeant said, holding her head with her right hand as the doctor supported her. She wobbled, still unsteady from the hit she had taken. Garrus could see her eyes go wide as she saw him carrying Shepard. "Is the Skipper...?" she started nervously.

"She's pretty banged up," he said. "We need to get her back to the Normandy."

"It's gonna take more than a Battlemaster to kill me, gunny," Shepard chuckled, before wheezing in pain and clutching her rips.

"Easy Shepard," he said, glaring down at her. "No talking, Commander," he added, mock serious.

As he stared to move his wounded Commander, he heard a crackle over his comm. "Dammit Shepard, Williams, Garru,s somebody come in!" he heard the voice of the pilot roar worriedly in his ear.

"Garrus," he responded. "Are you in position?" he asked, knowing if they weren't they were all dead.

"Of course," the pilot shot back, sounding offended that Garrus would question his skill. "We've been here for the last ten and the geth know it, too. We've got a whole bunch on an intercept course and I don't want to be sittin' here when they show up." He paused, and added, "Where's the Commander? I can't raise her on the comm, or Sergeant Williams either."

Of course, he realized. He had removed Shepard's helmet and she wasn't in any position to respond. He glanced at Williams, and saw her helmet was damaged. "Shepard's been wounded, and Williams's helmet is damaged. Have Chakwas have a medical team standing by for the Commander."

Joker paused. "Roger that… and hurry up."

They staggered towards the ruined blast doors that would take them out of the site and out to the open. Garrus struggled to hold Shepard upright as his own wounded leg buckled. To make matters worse she could hardly support herself, even though he could tears of pain stream down her face as she tried.

They emerged from the ruined blast door and not a hundred meters away was the Normandy. Iin that moment, Garrus decided he had never seen a more beautiful ship in all his life. Garrus turned to the doctor and Williams and ordered, "Go, we'll be right behind you!"

The doctor looked scared to death, but eagerly took off; Willaims hesitated a second before Shepard weakly said, "Move gunny!"

"Aye, aye," the Marine responded, and took off.

The Alliance Frigate stood hovering slightly off the ground with its cargo bay opened wide. Lieutenant Alenko's team stood, weapons held ready for the geth that were likely soon to becoming over the hill. He reached the ramp, and several of the Normandy's medical personal gingerly took the commander from him and laid her on a stretcher before whisking her off to the medbay.

Alenko slapped a large button and the cargo door began to close. He then raised his omi-tool and shouted, "Joker, the Commander and her team are aboard. Get us the hell out of here!" A river of lava burst forth from the entrance to cavern they had just been in.

"Roger that," and the Normandy shuttered as it rose up into the air.

One of the corpsmen came over. "Sir, I'd like to check your injuries," he shouted over the roar of the engines, but Garrus waved him off. He was fine; it was Shepard he was worried about. She was… well, he wasn't quite sure what she was to him, but at the very least she was a friend.

XXX

The shrill pitch of a whistle filled the air. "TEN SHUN," a tall, clean shaven, and powerfully built man with the insignia of a Master Chief Petty Officer on his shoulder bellowed. His voice echoed throughout the cargo bay of the SSV Orizaba, the one thousand meter long dreadnaught that served as flagship of the Alliance's Fifth Fleet and the pride of humanity's Navy.

The sound of one thousand, eight hundred and fifty two boots snapping together created an impressive sound as Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett, Commanding Officer of the prestigious Fifth Fleet and the most senior officer in the service, stepped down from his shuttle onto the deck. The grey haired officer swept his dark brown eyes over the assembled crew in their splendid white uniforms, before turning to the Captain.

His Captain Otto Strasbourg - who was flanked by his Executive Officer and the Senior ship NCO - straightened and saluted crisply. "Admiral," the man reported, "ship's company assembled and ready to depart."

Solemnly, the old Admiral returned the salute. "Very good. With your permission, I would like to address the men," the admiral requested. Even though Hackett was the senior Officer, this was still Strasbourg's ship and crew. Courtesy and tradition still demanded he asked.

"Of course sir," and the Captain stepped aside.

Hackett took a step forward. "At ease," he called out, and the ship's company relaxed from the position of attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, sailors and Marines, once more you and your comrades will set forth to sail amongst the stars in the name of our Alliance, and for the protection of mankind," that, he noticed, caused the crew to look briefly amongst one another. They had known for a while that something was up, as the entire Fifth Fleet had been recalled to Arcturus Station. What they might not know was that at the same moment, the First and Second Fleets were assembling at their own headquarters bases.

It was the greatest mobilization of Alliance military assets since the First Contact War. "You are the best and brightest the Navy has, and I expect all of you to be at the top of your game." He paused, turning to the Captain. "I'd like to get underway as soon as possible."

"Aye, Admiral," he said, snapping a salute before turning to his XO. "Commander, get the men moving back to the ship and make ready to get underway."

"Aye, Captain," the XO said, and he and the Chief turned and left.

Once the crew had marched off to their stations and the Commander and Master Chief were gone, Captain Strasbourg turned back to him. "So Steven, what's going on?" his old friend asked gently. "Does it have something to do with Eden Prime?"

Hackett said nothing as they walked towards the elevator that would take them to the command deck. Once he was inside, he looked at his old friend and comrade. "Yes, it does," he explained to the patiently waiting fellow Officer. Officially, the geth attack was being blamed on Batarian terrorists. However, it was a cover that most career military easily saw through. "The attack on Eden Prime was led by a rogue Council Spectre named Saren Arterius."

"Mein Gott," the Austrian Captain swore, his eyes wide.

"I know how you feel, Otto," the Admiral said. "We need the fleet ready to go in case Saren makes another run at us." His gaze hardened. "I won't have another Shanxi, not under my watch," he growled.

XXX

Fear… fear coursed through her veins as she ran. She wasn't sure what she was running from, but she had never felt such terror before in her life. She tried to stop and calm herself and turn to face whatever she was running from, but she found her limbs wouldn't obey her and she just kept running. Then she screamed as a massive shadow fell in front of her, and the scene jumped.

She found herself staring down on a world that she didn't recognize. Suddenly, small pinpricks of light began to appear all over the surface before they exploded in balls of nuclear fire. She shielded her eyes and the scene drew back, and she could see the explosions - there were many of them - covering the planet. The scene once more steadily pulled back, revealing that all the planets in this system were receiving similar treatment. They glowed blood red as they burned… the whole galaxy was burning.

Shepard woke with a start, glancing around the room. It took her a few seconds to recognize that she was in the medical bay of the Normandy. Gingerly she moved the parts of her body where she knew she had sustained an injury. She thanked God for the advances in modern medicine, or she would have been bed-ridden for weeks to recover from her injuries.

She became aware for the first time since she woke up. Garrus was sitting in a chair at the left hand side near the foot of her bed, fast asleep. Almost unbeknownst to her, she felt a small smile cross her face as she watched the Turian sleep. The realization that he looked cute briefly crossed her thoughts.

"Nice to see you up, Commander," a voice Shepard quickly recognized as belonging to Doctor Chakwas rang out. "How are you feeling?" she asked politely.

To be honest, her ribs still were very tender and most of her body ached - courtesy of being tossed around by a Krogan like a dog's chew toy - but she wasn't going to admit that to the doctor. She still had her pride to worry about, after all. That said, she would have brought up anything that she considered 'threatening to the success of the mission.' However, Shepard wasn't about to complain about a few aches.

"I'm good, doc," she answered, starrng the doctor in the eye and almost daring her to challenge her. The doctor nodded, and Shepard then nodded in Garrus's direction. "How long has he been here?"

The doctor smiled. "Since you got here. He hasn't left your side."

Shepard glanced at the clock on the wall, and realized that it had been almost six hours since the mission had ended and the Normandy left Therum. While a part of her - a small part - was annoyed that he decided to babysit her, the rest of her realized that not only had he saved her life, but cared enough to be there to make sure she was alright. She had had few 'true' friends in her life. There were those she trusted professionally, like the former members of her N7 unit, but she would rarely allow them to get close.

She glanced back up and saw Chakwas gazing pensively down at her. The doctor had a look etched on her face, and Shepard had the feeling that she was about to ask a question that Shepard wouldn't or couldn't answer. The elder woman briefly glanced at the Turian. "I can't help but notice that you two have been spending a lot of time together. More so than with any other member of the crew."

"He's my friend," she admitted to her own amazement, and before Chakwas could say anything else Shepard added sternly, "you're dismissed, doctor." When the doctor started to question Shepard, she repeated, "You're dismissed, doctor," she said, stressing the last word.

The doctor hesitated, before nodding and heading out. Once she was gone, Shepard turned her head to look at Garrus. He was still sleeping, his arms folded across his chest and his 'chin' resting on his chest. Shepard pulled out the few IVs from her arms and shoulder, and threw off the thermal blanket. Slipping her legs over the side off the bed, she made her way over to the changing area where she quickly slipped a uniform on.

Coming back, she said, "Garrus." When he didn't stir, she said louder, "Garrus." She didn't want to go over and just slap him on the shoulder or something like that. When she was in N7 training, she had the bad fortune to try that on one of her instructors. The man had broken her nose and nearly snapped her neck before coming fully awake. It was a mistake she vowed to never repeat.

It was quite comical to watch the Turian's head snap up and rise from the chair, knocking it over, as he tried to figure out where he was. He turned to face the sound of her voice. "Shepard," he said, his mandibles twitching in what she believed to be the equivalent of a smile. "You look great. How are you feeling?"

She gave Garrus a small smile. "I'm fine… just a little tender," she admitted, gently patting her bruised ribs. She paused before adding, "I want to thank you. You saved my life." She hesitated.

"It was my honor, Shepard," Garrus responded, gazing intently at her.

Taking a step forward, she held out her hand for him to take. "I want you to know I consider you my friend Garrus."

He took it and repeated, "Friends…. I like that, Shepard."

"So... you hungry?"

**Author's Note:**

**I have no idea how to actually clean a Mass Effect rifle so what wrote was simplistic version what you'd do for an M-16 A4.**

**Also people will notice that I don't follow the game exactly because it was designed for gameplay not storytelling.**

_**Beta done by Thorn of Dead Gods**_


	5. Chapter 4: The Colony

**Author's note: Apart from gameplay the area you go through on Feros doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For those of your that are STAR WARS fans I think Feros is supposed to be a little like Coruscant, a city planet type thing, so that kinda how I structured it. **

**Warning: Sexual situations. Nothing more than a Hollywood scene.**

**Sorry for the wait. I had tons of school and Mass Effect is a hard story to write because so much of the game is running or driving around and shooting.**

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 4: The Colony

Shepard struck with an open palmed strike catching her opponent across the face before darting back out of his range. Garrus shook off the blow and launched a punch, but she was already off of range. The two combatants circled one another carefully watching each other's movements. Shepard was quite aware that the turian had the reach on her. She was still sporting a bruise from underestimating him.

Garrus struck at her again with a spinning kick, but she ducked down underneath as his boot flew through the space her head was just in. Before he recovered she threw herself at him; her shoulder connecting with his midsection and hurling them both to the ground.

Despite what was commonly seen on the extranet and in the movies hand-to-hand combat wasn't a long drawn out affair with swirling kicking, punches, flips and all the pseudo spiritual martial arts shit. More often than not it brief, brutal and came down to two people grappling on the floor for leverage. It was what Shepard and Garrus were struggling for right now.

The pair was a mass of struggling limbs on the mat as they fought to gain an advantage over the other. With a quick move Garrus managed to pin her right arm behind her back with his right arm and had his left hand placed firmly on the back of her head pressing her face into the training mat.

"Yield Shepard," Garrus whispered his head merely inches from her right ear.

Shepard felt an involuntary shiver run down her spin as she felt his hot breath on her neck, "Not likely Garrus," and pulled her left leg in and pushed off lifting them both off the floor and slamming him on his back. Yes he had reach, but she had flexibility.

Bringing her right arm forward then slamming it back into Garrus's face caused him shutter and he let her go. Shepard twisted straddling him and pressing her right forearm hard against his throat. Stroking out with her left hand she grabbed and pinned his right wrist. "Yield," she whispered feeling his hard plate like metallic skin biting into her own as he tried to free himself.

Garrus twisted and squirmed for several seconds before he finally relaxed, "Fine," he grumbled letting his head flop back against the mat, "you win Shepard."

With a triumphant smile of victory she released him and rolled off so she was lying with her back flat on the mat next to him. She glanced over at him noticing the he was dripping blue blood form one of his nasal cavities, "You alright Garrus," she asked concerned. When the sparred they went at it full steam to best simulate a life and death struggle.

He nodded his mandibles flaring in a turian grin, "Fine how 'bout you. I remember getting some pretty good shots in myself."

Shepard nodding acknowledging his point as a valid one. Her forearms were badly bruised and there were a few spots where is claws done some damage to her skin, "Nothing ol' doc Chakwas can't fix," she groaned rising to her feet and headed towards the little table they had set up She grabbed two water bottles off it and tossed one to him.

Garrus took a few sips of his own before leaning against the wall and asking, "So how'd your meeting with the Council go," she gave him a look and the turian laughed, "that bad?"

"First your Councilor blamed me for the destruction of the prothean ruins," she ticked off getting angrier with every word, "then the salarian questioned the wisdom in allowing Doctor T'Soni onboard the Normandy," Shepard brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, "as if I was what just going to give her free run of the Normandy?"

While Shepard had allowed the asari to the mind meld, only after considerable convincing, she still didn't even come close to trusting the doctor even if she believed that the 'young' woman and her mother were on the outs. After all just because you were family didn't mean you liked each other. She and her own mother hadn't spoken in years.

Dr. T'Soni had been situated with an office in the back of the med-bay and Shepard made sure there was always a marine either in or around the med-bay just in case something went screwy, "I don't think they like me very much," she admitted with a slight grin.

"First assignment and you're already blowing things up," Garrus said smartly, "generally I don't think they like you blowing up planets until at least your third."

Shepard arched her eyebrow, "I didn't blow up the planet…," she hesitated for a second, "We," she said empathizing the word, "may have set off a seismic explosion that set off a series of super volcanoes which drowned half the planet in lava."

The both were silent for a few moments before Joker's voice cut through the comm, "_Commander we have Admiral Hackett on the line. He wants to speak to you pronto!_"

Shepard glanced down at herself in the Navy's physical training outfit. This wasn't the way she wanted to meet the commander of the Fifth Fleet, "Do I have time to change?"

"_Ahhh the Admiral said it was urgent_."

"Roger that," she said and turned to Garrus, "have a good one," and she left heading out the door and towards the comm room. She got a few stares from the crew members at they weren't used to seeing their commander in a tank top and shorts.

She punched her access code into the reader and the doors to the comm room slid open with a hiss. Shepard entered and manipulated the control panel and the communication system connected.

"_Shepard_," the gravelly voice of Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett rumbled throughout the room. The Admiral's eyebrow arched, "_nice outfit_."

"Short notice Admiral," Shepard replied deadpan, "you called?"

The admiral didn't waste any time, "_Have you ever heard of Feros_?"

Taking a few seconds to rake through her memory for a reference, "Doesn't ring a bell. What of it?"

"_It's a colony in the Theseus System of the Attican Beta Cluster_," he started to explain, "_it was founded by the ExoGeni Cooperation to explore the ruined prothean city there. A week ago we lost contact with the colony._"

"What happened," she asked.

"_We don't know_," the Admiral admitted, "_We requested permission from the Council to send in a fleet unit_."

Shepard nodded following where he was going. The Council had ordered a lockdown of the Traverse after the Geth attack. No non-citadel task force was allowed in without their express permission, "They turned you down," he nodded so she went a bit farther, "but you sent someone in anyway."

"_You're quick Shepard. Yes went sent in a team… your old one as a matter of fact_," he said dropping the bombshell, "_under the command of a newly minted Lieutenant Commander Donald_."

She smiled. Jack Donald her old XO. The man was a capable officer and a fine tactician… if a little dry and unimaginative. Suddenly her smile fell as she realized that if Hackett was coming to her than something went wrong, "what happened," she quickly asked.

"_I don't know, but the last transmission we heard from Commander Donald mentioned the Geth before it cut out_," he said his eyes hardening, "_after that we've had no further communication_."

"Geth," she repeated, "do we know why the geth are on Feros," she asked. So far the Geth had been only concerned on two planets Eden Prime and Therum. Both times the Geth had been after something in specific. Somehow she doubted they would attack a planet just for kicks and giggles.

"_No_," Hackett said with a shake of his head, "_according to all the reports the Alliance received from ExoGeni they haven't found anything Earth shattering_," he gave her a skeptical look, "_or at least that's what they say," _he paused_, "Shepard I know now that you're a Spectre I can't order you…_"

"I'll investigate," she interrupted, "we haven't got any other leads."

Hackett looked grateful but that look quickly disappeared, "_Thank you Commander, Fifth Fleet out_," and with that the hologram vanished.

Shepard took a deep breath and when for the intercom button on the wall, "Lieutenant Moreau," she called, "set course for the planet Feros in the Theseus System of the Attican Beta cluster. Make best possible speed. I want to get there as soon as possible. "

"_Aye, aye commander_," he voiced, "_calculating now…_," there was a pause, "_seven hours to the nearest relay then nine more to Feros commander_."

"Good adjust course and heading and let my team known what's going on," she ordered as she made her way out of the comm room to get changed.

XXX

Seaman Samuel Marshal the newest edition to the System's Alliance N7 Team Three, 1st platoon sat on a makeshift stool made of some kind of box starring through a spotting scope down at the only skyway leading to the colony. He glanced over at burley Russian Petty Officer Second Class Alex Krechenko the platoon's sniper who was perched with his sniper's barrel jutting out from the window.

He glanced up at the mid-level NCO. Krechenko was a man in his late thirties, heavy tattooed on the arms and around the neck and with a distinguishing facial scar that started at his right ear and went down to the corner of his left lip. He never said how he got it and none of the other squad members had been inclined to talk.

Marshal glanced over at the sniper once before looking back through his scope. They were waiting for any sign of a geth push; the twelve man Special Ops team had fought off a previous haphazardly organized assault with the loss of three men, two wounded and one KIA. They wanted to be ready for the next one.

They were supposed to have been a recon mission to find out what happened to the colony and report back to FLEETCOM but that went FUBAR when the Geth ambushed them and destroyed their prowler, a small FLT capable recon ship, stranding them with the colonists until the fleet arrived… if the Fleet ever got permission that was.

Still Marshal glanced over again, "So what was it like," he asked.

The sniper didn't even move, "What?"

"Working with Commander Shepard," the seaman reiterated, "the woman who became the first human Spectre?"

"She's a fucking Ice-Queen," the sniper said deadpan, "though," he added after a second, "she was willing to get her hands dirty. She'd do everything she asked of those she commanded."

"What was she like," he asked again. In the N7s training course Shepard's name was at the top of the list of most of the event scores; from marksman ship to tactical exercises and hand-to hand.

"I don't know kid," Krechenko hissed the first hint of emotion touching his tone, "I never dated her," he stated sarcastically, "besides she's an officer," as if that said it all.

"Didn't you work with her for like three years or something," the spotter question suspiciously.

"Four," the Petty Officer corrected, "and she didn't fraternize much off duty. There was only one or two times Commander Donald convinced her to come out for drinks with everyone else."

"Hmmm," Marshal intoned before looking back out onto the massive expanse of cityscape, "I wonder what they're so interested in the ExoGeni headquarters building for?"

Krechenko swore in what the seaman thought was Russian before saying, "Maybe you should go ask them kid."

Marshal was about to ask another question when Krechenko shushed him and glanced through his scope, "November seven to November Lead, over," he hissed into his helmet mike.

"_Lead here Seven, report… over_," Marshal could hear the voice of Lieutenant Commander Jack Donald whispering over the comm.

"Twenty plus enemy foot mobiles heading on your position," the Russian said as Marshal focused the spotter's scope on the target, "I'd advise use of claymores lead, over."

"_Twenty plus hostiles confirmed Novembers Seven_," the CO said, "_Lead out_," and the comm fell silent.

Preparing for engagement Krechenko cycled the bolt and eased into a more comfortable firing position. Marshal waited tensely for the explosion and gunfire that would signal the start of the skirmish. Suddenly the bridge lit up as two claymore charges exploded wiping out a good ten to fifteen geth and blowing a few more off their feet.

Marshal heard the muffled thump of Krechenko's suppressed Mantis rifle and down range a geth's chest exploded in a shower of sharps and shrapnel. Even though the mantis had a far slower rate of fire than a sniper like the viper or the incisor it made up for it with range.

Through the spotter's scope he could see the rest of the squad engage the geth. It was a brutal ambush as the commandos assaulted from multiple directions and with small arms and heavy weaponry. Briefly and irrationally he thought about grabbing his rifle from its spot on the wall and lending a hand, but he realized that at this distance he likely do more harm than good.

Suddenly he heard a sound from behind him. It was a strange almost gurgling sound, not one in his fairly limited experience that he associated with the geth. Grabbing his rifle from its resting place he shouldered the avenger and headed out of the small room they had made their sniper's perch about twenty floors above the skylane,

He quickly scanned the hallway and when he didn't see anyone he moved slowly towards the staircase. Poking his head over the railing he didn't see the platoon of geth troopers he expected to see storming up the staircase or something to that extent. He heard the sound again and spun his rifle shouldered scanning the hallway. Suddenly something caught his eye and he looked up along the ceiling. There was a geth but this didn't look like any other geth. Instead of silver armor it looked almost organic with clusters of sinewy muscle exposed.

"Sonofa…," he cursed and raised his rifle. As he did the geth pulled its legs underneath it and lunged at him. Marshal dove to the right and the geth land right on the spot he had been. The geth's head swiveled to face him and its optical sensor lit up like a Christmas tree.

Suddenly the geth's head exploded and Krechenko stood at the other end of the hall with his side-arm drawn and smoking, "Kid you alright."

Standing Marshal nodded, "Yeah I'm fine… what was that," he question as he stood up.

"We better call it in."

XXX

"_The commanding officer is ashore_," the _Normandy'_s VI stated monotone over the comm as the airlock door slid open, "_XO Presley has the deck_."

Shepard and her six man squad stepped off the _Normandy _and onto the concrete floor of the landing deck. She gave a quick hand signal and the two fire teams, the teams were slightly different than the one's she took to Therum, spread out.

This time she took Alenko and Wrex while leaving Garrus to command the second team made up of Williams and Tali. A part of her left bad about taking Alenko's command away; he had performed well on Therum, but he lacked the qualification to be a special operations team leader.

"We're clear Lieutenant," she said, "take off and keep her quiet. The last thing I need is my ride blown up."

"_Aye commander_," he said and Shepard could hear the Normandy's engines roar to life, "_take care."_

That finished her team lined up in a staggered formation along the right side of the hallway while Garrus's took the left side. They were heading down a long hallway which split 90 degrees to the right about twenty meters ahead. She signaled Garrus's team to halt while she slid along the wall. Keeping her right hand on the handle of her rifle she pulled her knife free of its sheath.

Using the reflective surface she scanned the area in the open corridor and when she was satisfied that there wasn't any enemies she sheathed the knife and shouldered her weapon and advanced down the corridor. As they moved down the hallway and neared another bend Garrus called the group to a halt with a raised hand.

Shepard froze and raised her rifle. After a few seconds she heard the sounding of someone running. With a flip of her thump she disengaged the weapon's safety and waited for a few moments until a man with a pistol ran into view, "Halt… drop your weapon," bellowed and the man adopted a 'dear in the headlights' look, "drop'em."

The man quickly threw his weapon on the floor and shouted in relief, "Thank God you're human," he stammered, "We saw your ship land. Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately."

"And you are," Shepard said raising an eyebrow beneath her helmet still focusing her weapon on the man, "and he is?

"My name's David I'm one of the colonists, "he said quickly, "Fai Dan is our leader and the Geth are getting ready to make another push."

Somewhat recently Shepard lowered her rifle, "What about Commander Donald and his men… are they still alive?"

David nodded quickly, "Most of the commandos are still alive, but Donald and about three-fourths of them are out trying to make their way to the ExoGeni building. The commander guy thinks it's important."

"Garrus take point," she said gesturing to the turian and he lead his team to the forefront while hers fell back, "Did Donald say what he was interested in," she questioned. It wasn't like him to take risks like that that. His first priority would have been to secure the colony… unless she paused… unless he was here for another reason… possibly whatever the Geth were after.

"No," he said quickly as they started climbing stairs, "No he just took most of his men and left."

Shepard nodded and the team made their way up the many flights of stairs, far too many stairs in her own opinion. They finally reached the top and the colonist informed them they'd made it to the colony, "Fai Dan's at the far side of the colony," he said excitedly, "I'll show you."

The man lead them to the through colony and Shepard felt something gnawing at the bit of her stomach as she saw several men, women and children huddling together looking absolutely terrified, not that she blamed them. She'd seen the looks before on a few mission's when she was helping pro-alliance insurgents on formerly independent colonies. Their formerly peaceful world had been shattered by events from beyond their control.

They came up on the natural choke point and several armed colonists and three familiar men wearing familiar, albeit stained and bloodied, black armor with a red strip running down the right arm and across the top of the helmet… her former N7 compatriots.

"Roake, Lindsey, Quincy sound off," she barked and to her great amusement the N7s jumped and spun around.

"Commander," Chief Petty Officer Roake growled once he settle back down, "what brings a Spectre to our neck of the woods?"

"Chief nice to see you again," she said before glancing over at the other two, "Petty Officers."

"Commander," the both said nodding as saluting in a battlefield environment was against every regulation in the book.

Next to them there was an older man and woman in an ExoGeni security uniform, "You must be Fai Dan," she said to the man, "I'm Shepard, All-," she started to introduce herself as an Alliance Commando before switching mid gear, "an operative with Special Tactics and Recon."

"Agent Shepard a pleasure," the man said with a smile that Shepard thought was genuine. He glanced at her team and his smile faded just a bit, "is this all you brought?"

"Donald's message wasn't exactly clear," Shepard clarified, "plus the Alliance isn't officially allowed into the Traverse without the Council's permission… your lucky you got what you have…," she finished glaring at the man before turning to Alenko, "Lieutenant set a perimeter while Mr. Dan, Garrus, Chief Roake and I have a chat."

"Aye Commander," Alenko responded as the four headed over to one of the buildings so she could be brought up on their tactical situation.

XXX

"Are you almost finished," Marshal heard his commander growl from behind him.

"Do you have any idea how complicated this is sir," the young seaman said annoyed as protocol would allow. Commander Donald had ordered him to hack into the local ExoGeni mainframe and receive a heavily encrypted file for the Alliance Brass.

The only problem was that Captain Rogers hadn't mentioned anything about recovering any data during the briefing. It was possible that commander had received orders in private but why wouldn't he have shared them with the team. Still it wasn't something he was willing to ask, certainly not with Commander Donald's fiery temper.

"Marshal," the commander nearly snarled, "how long?"

Pinching the bridge of his noise, "Ten… fifteen minutes," he hazarded a guess. Suddenly a rumbling and then a horrible screech filled the building.

"_Squad this is Seven_," Krechenko's Russian accented voice crackled over the comm, "_we've got a geth dropship attaching itself to the building and a platoon full of the little shits are busting down the front door_."

"Roger Seven lead out," the N7 commando officer said before turning back to glare at him, "you have three minutes seaman," he growled cycling the bolt on his rifle, "Russell," he said turning to another N7, "your with me."

Finally alone Marshal focused all his attention into breaking the encryption. I didn't make any sense, he mused, if this was an Alliance contract that it would make sense it would use an Alliance or Alliance based encryption code, but this wasn't. It was something else that only added to the feeling of unease growing in the pit of his stomach.

Flinching as he heard weapons' fire he pulled his side-arm from its holster and laid it next to him for ease of access. His fingers danced over the holographic keyboard as he virtually attacked one of the toughest encryptions he had ever faced. It was damn good… but he was better.

With a broad smile of triumph watched as the data was unencrypted. Holding his omi-tool up to the console he wirelessly downloaded a copy. As he went to erase the original he paused his curiosity rearing. His finger hovered over a single key, hesitating weather or not her should open it. However her curiosity prevailed and he clicked the key and the file opened.

His eyes quickly moved from side to side as he read the file, "Oh my god…," he said his eyes going wide in disbelief. He was so focused on the data file that he never felt the bullet tear through his skull and never saw his brains splatter over the wall.

The data file started,

_To: Ethan Jeong, ExoGeni Research Division. Feros _

_From: The Illusive Man_

XXX

"You let me know if you need backup," Garrus said as Shepard and her team entered the lift that would take them to the skylane. When she had asked him to lead the second team he had been honored that she had so much faith in him and a little bit worried that he couldn't be there to watch her six personally.

"I'll give you a call," she said her eyes twinkling beneath her helmet, "and you come running," the look in her eyes hardened, "I have done this before Garrus," the commander reminded patting her rifle, "Complete your objectives and will rendezvous back at the colony."

"Roger that Shepard…take care," he said and she nodded and slapped the button. When she disappeared from site he turned to his team mates, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and Gunnery Sergeant Williams, "Let's move."

"Aye aye," William said shouldering while Tali said and the same time, "alright."

As the team started heading through the streets of what once was a major prothean city Garrus reflected on the assignment Shepard had given him. Of the two, hunting after an N7 commando team in a geth hotspot and repelling a geth incursion, it sounded like Shepard had given him the easier assignment.

Briefly he checked the map, the N7s had done a good job of scouting the area out with their remote probes and on foot before heading off to do whatever they were doing. After checking the map he threw a look at his team members. Williams he knew could take care of herself, he'd seen her in action before, but Tali he been a little more worried about. The quarian had sparse military training, as he learned all quarians in the Flotilla did, but only had minimal field experience. As for the N7's… he'd have to trust Shepard when she said they were, in her words, 'Grade-A-Sonvabitches,' whatever that meant.

With a hand gesture he waved the team forward and they spread out the road in a staggered formation with Garrus on the forward right, Williams in the middle of the opposite side of the street and Tali in the back of Garrus's side, etc. and so forth. The whole formation was meant to minimize damages from ambushes and IEDs.

As the moved Garrus's head swiveled constantly checking for ambushes while searching for a spot to plant one of his own. This was the main avenue of advance for any major thrust towards the colony and he had to plug it up against platoon sized geth element with unknown support. Maybe Shepard had got the easier job.

"Alright halt here," he muttered glancing around at the terrain thinking that he had found the best spot they were likely to find. They were on a long road that nearly a hundred meters back the way the split right at a hard ninety degrees turn. Once the geth entered this street the team could ambush them with claymores, automatic weapons fire and sniper fire and if they managed to keep them from escaping out of the killing field they could cut them to pieces.

"Chief can you ring up a line of claymores along the sides of the road in an overlapping field," Garrus requested of the N7 noncom as he studied the area looking for stops to position the rest of his squad. One by one he managed to find the best position to situate them before the Chief came back with detonator in hand.

"They're all set turian," the Chief grumbled, "try not to blow us all to hell," as the NCO headed off to his position.

Garrus glared at the human before moving to his little perch at the far back of the road so he could use his Viper rifle to full effect. He set his rifle down, propping it up against some rubble and held the detonator in his hand. Now all he had to do was wait for the geth to come.

XXX

Shepard moved slowly through the nearly pitch black tunnel thankful for the night vision goggles integrated into her helmet. They had been carefully and cautiously moving through the ten by sixteen access tunnels that ran along the underside of the skyway. She didn't know for sure what their original use was for but she would have bet that they were for maintenance use as there was a ladder every fifty meters or so.

Despite the unnerving feeling of being hemmed in and knowing that you were the proverbial fish in a barrel this route had allowed her team to slip in unnoticed and avoid enemy patrols. Again she would have bet that this was the route Donald took.

She felt two quick taps on her shoulder and halted in her tracks. While still looking ahead searching for problems she whispered, "What?"

"We've got radio chatter up ahead," Alenko whispered back but before she could ask if it was the other N7s he added, "It's not an Alliance Military channel and they're broadcasting in the clear."

"Survivors of the geth attack," Shepard ventured already considering the pros and cons of exposing themselves.

"We don't have time to babysit colonists," Wrex grumbled speaking for what was only the third time since this mission started. Strong silent type she guessed.

"We can't just leave them," Alenko argued imploringly.

"Wrex's right," she finally stated having come to a decision, "but we need all the Intel we can get our hands on and they might know something, but we're not going to be able to do much for them."

She could tell Alenko didn't like it. He was still at that stage where he believed he could save everyone; it was trait someone was going to have to break him of before he winded up getting his team killed, '"What direction are we heading?"

Alenko rattled off the directions and Shepard plugged them in to her suits internal compass and positioning system, if she really needed to she could pull out a map and do it by hand, but she didn't have the time at the moment.

The location Alenko had supplied was ad what seemed to be some kind of intersection or hub for this section of skyway. When she thought of it, it seemed rather stupid to hide in the middle of a transportation hub. Then again maybe they found some kind of emergency shelter and were held up there.

Eventually they came to a ladder and a dead-end, "So we go up," she said to herself, "great," she hissed as she latched her rifle to her chest and started climbing the ladder. Upon reaching the top she didn't just push it up, but slid a small probe with a live feed camera on the end. When she was satisfied that there wasn't anything waiting for them she rolled up the probe and popped the cover.

Carefully sliding the cover over she fully emerged from the 'manhole' and unlatched her rifle, "Clear," she said back down into the hole, "come on up." When they were with her again they advanced into the hub, "Which way?"

Alenko took point as he had the specialized communication gear. The moved stealthily through the hub until Alenko called them to a halt, "Here we are commander," he said tapping the back of his hand on the blast door.

Shepard studied the emergency shelter door and whistled softly. It would take far more explosives than she was packing to get through that door, but thankfully they wouldn't have to force their way in. Turning to Alenko she ordered, "Patch me into their comms."

Alenko nodded and brought up his omi-tool. After a few moments of manipulating the omi-tool it beeped and he flashed her a thumbs up.

"This is Agent Shepard with Special Tactics and Recon," she said into the comm, "I need you to open this door," she paused waiting for a response and when she didn't get one she added in a harsher tone, "if you don't I blow the door down and come in the hard way… trust me you don't want that."

A few seconds later the door hissed and ground open. Shepard and her team hefted their rifles; after all it paid to be cautious. As the door slid open she could see a woman standing behind it, "Don't shoot," she shouted holding her hands up, "My names Dr. Baynham I'm one of the ExoGeni researchers everyone else is in the shelter," she paused warily regarding Shepard and her team, "follow me."

Shifting her rifle to the 'low guard' position Shepard nodded and they headed down into the shelter following after the ExoGeni doctor, "What happened here," Shepard questioned.

The doctor ran her hand through her hair, "I was in the lab when the alarms went off. The next thing I know security's rounding everyone to evacuate them to the designated rally points when the geth hit. After that everything just went to hell. The geth were just shooting anything that moved and constantly strafing the columns," she sighed and bowed her head as they continued walking, "a lot of people didn't make it."

Shepard nodded she had lost people under her command before, had seen a lot of people… innocent people get killed and had killed a lot of people in her career. She still remembered the first man she ever killed and it had shaken her the first time she fired her weapon in anger. Over time she managed to suppress the feeling so killing just became a mechanical process; she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. As Garrus had joked back on Therum it was probably a bad thing that he was used to the smell of burning bodies.

"We're here," Dr. Baynham said.

Shepard looked on and saw close to a hundred people all huddled together, some crying and sobbing while others just sat with a dazed look on their faces. She glanced around and saw a handful of ExoGeni Security Personal, some in their regular uniforms while still others managed to get into their combat armor. Still these were rent-a-cops not real soldiers.

"Agent Shepard," a little greasy man in a dirt covered business suit with his ties undone and hanging out the front said rubbing his hands together, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to deal with your geth problem," she said bluntly, "I'm also looking for a group of other soldiers, N7s to be specific."

"Oh yes they stopped here," Dr. Daynham said turning to the suit, "Ethan the commander and you talked in private."

"What about," Shepard asked focusing in of the little weasel of a man.

"Oh ahh Commander Donald just wanted to know the layout of the headquarters building," 'Ethan' stammered rubbing his hands together nervously.

"He's lying Shepard," Wrex rumbled taking a threating step forward, "let me rip off his legs and see if he still lies."

"No that wouldn't work," Shepard said deadpan not breaking eye contact, "he'd bleed to death before he'd answer any questions."

The krogan huffed in laughter but didn't say anything else, "What did Commander Donald want," Shepard asked again with steel lacing her tone.

"I told you-," he started to say but Shepard crossed the distance between them in a blink of an eyes and slammed her fist into his stomach. With a swift moment she grabbed his tie and skirted around to the back crossing her arms to tighten the tie choking off the man's air supply.

"Now listen to me Ethan," Shepard growled into his ear. Her swift brutal act had drawn the attention of every person in the room, "I'm a Spectre and if I want to disembowel you right here and now there's nothing anyone can do to stop me," she pulled the tie taught as the suit usually struggled against her grip. When his struggles began to lessen she relaxed her so the man could breathe, "What is Donald after?"

"They'll kill me," the suit whined.

"I'll kill you first," Shepard said smugly adding more teeth to her bluff.

"He's after the data about the Thorian," the suit finally gave in squealing and Shepard released her hold and he fell un-ceremonially to the ground coughing and wheezing.

She quickly glanced around aware that every eye was on her. Thankfully however the security personal made no moves for their weapons or even looked like they gave a shit. A few even had smiles on their faces. Turning her gaze back to the suit, "What's a Thorian… I've never heard of it before."

"It's a plant based lifeform," Ethan started, "completely alien from everything we know. Are tests have confirmed that the creature is at least fifty-thousand years old."

"What's so fascinating about it," she questioned. There was no way Donald would risk his team over information about a plant.

"The spores it emits have mind control properties," he admitted, "we were looking into weaponizing them for…," he trailed.

Putting the toe of her boot on his neck and applying pressure, "For who the Alliance," she asked. That would make a little bit more sense if Donald was after some black project that Alliance Command didn't want to become public.

The suit uselessly tried to push her boot of his neck, "Cer… Cerb… Cerberus," he finally managed to cough out, "they're the ones who founded this project and they had use the colonist at Zhu's Hope for test subjects. Donald and his men are working for them."

Shepard felt a chill descend over her, "Fuck," she swore, Cerberus… human experimentation…. great that was all they needed. First geth now a human extremist/terrorist group and her former team was working for them. Suddenly realization hit her and she swore again. Garrus and his team, Chief Roake could turn on them at any time.

Taking her boot off the throat of the suit she raised her hand to her where her ear would be under her helmet and opened a comm, "Garrus come in," she shouted, "Garrus, Garrus," she repeated but got nothing but static back on the comm, "Damn!"

"Should we head back to meet Garrus," Alenko asked concerned.

Shepard shook her head angrily, "No we need to catch up to Donald and secure that data. Cerberus wants it and that's bad enough. We have to keep trying to reach him," she growled. Turning back to the suit she fixed him with a glare, "Last question… where's the Thorian."

"Beneath the colony," he uttered.

"Thanks," she said nodding and shot him.

XXX

Garrus shifted his aim and put another geth in the crosshairs before blowing it away. The geth exploded in a shower of sparks and steel and Garrus shifted to fire again. The firefight had been raging on for a good fifteen minutes and progressed fairly well for Garrus and his team. They had drawn the geth into the street and detonated the mines taking out over half of them.

So far the only causality had been an N7 who took one in the leg. He was alive and still fighting but immobile. Shifting again in the rubble that was his cover he fired again and again dropping a geth with each shot. A whirring sound filled the air and Garrus swore and cover his head pushing himself flat as he could get against the ground. The RPG round flew over his head and hit the old building behind him showering him with bits of masonry.

There was a burst of fire and the geth fell. Garrus looked up and too the right where Williams flashed him a thumbs up. He was about to shoulder his rifle again when he heard a hissing sound over his comm.

"_Gar… it's…ap… don't tru… Roake_," he heard Shepard's static filled voice stay over the comm, "_ther… rk… f… Cerber…_"

He frowned he recognized the Chief's name but the rest of the message was garbled, "Shepard this is Garrus say again!"

"…_rus do… st… Roake_," he heard her say again, "_they're working for Cerberus_."

The N7's were working for Cerberus, Garrus realized that was she was trying to get across and the thought made his blood run cold. Though he'd never met any Cerberus operatives in personal he knew the organization's reputation was a bad one. There were half a dozen terrorist attacks in Citadel Space that Cerberus had carried out and twice as many that they were under suspect.

Garrus froze wondering what to do. He'd given the squad comm frequency to Roake and the other N7s so he couldn't get the intel out without the N7s knowing.

The last geth fell and he heard Chief Roake call, "All clear," Garrus didn't move but laid perfectly still waiting for the first of the N7s emerge. After several seconds he saw Chief Roake, Quincy who was helping carry Lindsey, Tali and Williams emerge from their cover out onto the road.

Placing the crosshairs of his rifle over Roake's head he paused, what if Shepard was wrong? What if the whole team wasn't working for Cerberus? Sighing Garrus shifted his aim to the man's leg. He squeezed the trigger firing a single shot and Chief Roake when down with a scream. Shifting again he shot Quincy in the shoulder and he went down as well.

At the first shot Williams and Tali had thrown themselves to the ground, "Cover them," Garrus shouted as he scrambled from his cover.

"What the fuck, you just shot our own men," Williams said standing up and swinging her rifle to point at him. Tali, by her mannerisms, also looked shocked with her weapon not quite pointing at him.

"I got word from Shepard. They're working for Cerberus," he shouted pointing his rifle at the writhing N7s, "police their weapons," he ordered again.

Williams spun around again and kicked the chief in his helmeted head, "Bastard… is that true," she asked as she kicked him again.

Roake glared up at her, "Fuck you bitch," he snarled and went for his side-arm, but before he could get halfway Williams shot him in the face.

Swinging his rifle over his shoulder Garrus reached down and grabbed Lindsey by his collar and hoisted him to his feet regardless of his wounded leg, "Why betray the Alliance, why betray Shepard," he growled digging his talons into the man's open wound.

From even behind the mask Garrus could see the man cry, "Fuck," he gritted out, "Money alright it was for the money. The Illusive Man paid us each a fortune to secure some data … though," he groaned, "I think Commander Donald's been working for him longer."

With a huff Garrus dropped him, "We need to get back to the colony."

XXX

"Freeze… don't move a muscle," Shepard hissed with her weapon trained on the female figure in a lab coat. They had humped the way out on foot from the shelter to the 'underground' entrance to the ExoGeni building.

"Please don't shoot," the woman begged dropping her pistol.

"Elizabeth Baynham," Alenko ventured coming up on Shepard's left with his own weapon not quite raised, "Is that you?"

The woman slowly turned around with her hands raised, "Ye-Yes that's me… ho-how did you know," she questioned hesitantly.

Shepard lowered her rifle and the others did the same, "Your mother asked me to look for you. What do you know about the Thorian?"

For the second time in as many minutes the young woman looked shocked, "How do you know about that?"

"Ethan Jeong told me moments before I put a bullet in his head," Shepard said deadpan carefully watching the young woman's facial expression.

Good," Elizabeth said forcefully, "that… man," she snarled sounding like she didn't even want to admikt they shared a common species, "deserves to die for what he did…" she hesitated before, "what he made the rest of us do to those poor colonists," she shook her head, "that's why I'm still here I tried to upload the lab reports to Colonial Affairs back on Earth but the communication relay was knock out in the first attack… 'I've been hiding out here ever since."

Have you seen another soldiers," Shepard questioned, "they'd look like me," she added helpfully gesturing at her armor.

The young doctor shook her head, "I haven't seen anything but the few times I've gone back in I've heard gun fire."

Shepard considered her options for a second. She didn't want to take the doctor with them but didn't want to leave her alone either. Throwing a glance over her shoulder at Alenko the commander ordered, "Stay with Dr. Baynham."

"Commander," he started but Shepard cut him off.

"No argument Lieutenant you stay here," she shifted her gaze to Wrex, "You're with me big guy," and the massive krogan warlord grumbled and fell in next to her.

"The data should be on the thirty first floor far right corner office," the doctor added quickly.

Shepard popped the heat sink on her rifle just to make sure it was still good before slapping it back in with the hilt of her palm, "Wrex lets move out."

And move out they did. For all the krogan's mass Shepard was learning to appreciate just how quiet he could be. All the krogan she had ever met emphasized raw brute force over everything else. Wrex made her uneasy… she was going to have to watch him carefully.

Slowly the unlikely pair made their up the stairs with weapons shouldered on the lookout for the geth. About halfway they ran into the geth rear guard and wiped them out after a briefy but brutal firefight. They ran into a handful more geth but they were swiftly neutralized as well.

"Hear that Shepard," Wrex asked titling his head.

"Gunfire," she hissed, yes she heard it. Craning her neck she leaned out over the rail. They still had a long way to go.

"So what's the plan Shepard," the battlemaster grumbled, "do we want to save these guys or let'em burn."

It was a question she'd been asking herself. Donald and his men had gone rouge… did she really want to pull their asses out of the fire. She paused considering for a second and decided they had to rescue Donald if only so she could beat whatever information she wanted out of him, "We're going after him," she finally said.

Wrex nodded and they made their ascension up the multiple flights of stairs until they finally reached the thirty first level. Shepard let Wrex take point with his massive shotgun as they crouched near the top of the stairs.

She glanced at him and he nodded signaling he was ready. Shepard shouldered her weapon and rose up following Wrex as he stormed the room shotgun firing and biotics flying. Following him and hugging the right side, why he took the left, they advanced cutting down any Geth they ran into.

The comm buzzed to life, "_This is Commander Donald, Alliance Navy whoever's shooting up the geth come in_."

Shepard dove down beneath a large broken off piece of masonry as rounds flew overhead. Shimming along the floor she leaned back up against the wall. Smirking she opened a comm channel, "Howdy Jacky having a fun time?"

"_Shepard_," she heard the man's voice say almost disbelievingly, "_what the hell are you doing here_?"

"What else," Shepard said trying to sound as calm or as normal as possible, "to pull your ass out of the fire."

The commander chuckled, "_So same old, same old, huh commander_?"

"Tell me about it," Shepard muttered as she popped from behind her cover and squeezed off several shots at the geth sending them spiraling to the ground. As they returned fire she ducked back down into cover, "just hang on old buddy I'm on my way, Shepard out," the former N7 turned Spectre finished shutting down the link.

She felt a flash of anger blow through her as she thought of Donald and her former teammates' betrayal. She had trusted all of them and now she found out they were working for Cerberus. A cold thought ran down her spine as she thought of it; how long had they been working for Cerberus. Also the fact that her former team members were working for a terrorist organization would certainly reflect badly on her.

"Fuck," she hissed and kept firing blasting a few more jagged holes in a coupled of geth troopers. To her left Sheppard heard a fearsome roar that even made her flinch and the krogan bolted forward launching himself into the crowd of geth.

The firefight lasted all of about thirty seconds. While Shepard had good cover coming in from the rear the geth lacked cover and were mortally exposed. Standing over a wounded geth she fired a few bursts into the machine to finish it off.

Moving through the piles of Geth they headed towards the holdout where the N7s had dug in, "Donald you there," she called out training her rifle on the doorway.

Slowly the N7 Commando emerged from his defensive position with his helmet tucked under his right arm and the barrel of his rifle resting on his shoulder. He was lipping slightly, Shepard noticed and his armor was breached on the left side of his lower abdomen, "Thanks Shepard… want to lower your weapon."

She hesitated briefly. Jack had been her closest friend for a long time, hell longer than her marriage had lasted… he'd been there for her when no one else was. She hesitated, "Why are you working for Cerberus… how long," she asked in the harshest tone she could muster, "Was if for the money?"

Donald opened his mouth to not doubt argue but snapped it back shut as the other two surviving Commandos emerged with weapons trained on her, "It was the right thing to do and for your second question I've been working for them straight out of the academy… right after you turned them down in fact Kathryn" he said with a satisfied look.

"That's Agent Shepard you bastard," she bit back reminding him she was a Spectre. She remembered the meeting with Cerberus. Two guys had jumped her and drug her into a back alley and 'relayed' their bosses offer to join his organization. She told them she'd think about it then promptly killed them both with a nearby piece of rebar. It wasn't until weeks after she told her superiors that she was allowed to leave base for her own safety .

The rouge commander took a step forward thrusting his finger towards her, "Cerberus is doing what it has to defend humanity Shepard. With this data humanity can dominate the Council… the galaxy," he said excitedly, "imagine it. With the Thorian spores we can control the minds of anyone we want."

"You're crazy," she hissed her finger tightening on the tripper of her rifle, "Krechenko, Mike," she said glancing at the other two rouge commando's with their weapons trained on her, "why are you doing this?"

"Money," Mike said simply his rifle not wavering an inch, "Fifty million… a piece. It's more than enough for me to retire to some nice tropical planet and live the rest of my life surrounded by naked women."

"Not a believer then," Shepard deducted drily.

"In Cerberus," Krechenko scoffed, "Net, those bastards can go fuck themselves for all I care. I just want the money."

"What the hell happened to you all," she gritted out through clenched teeth, "you're goddamn Alliance sailors doesn't that mean anything to you anymore! What about your duty, honor and loyalty! What about the fucking oaths you all took!"

Donald turned back from glaring at the others clearly not likely their comments about Cerberus, "Gonna shoot me Shepard or just keep preaching," his bloodied lips twitched in a cruel smile, "for all your determination you're not suicidal Shepard. Its three on one Spectre," he held out his hand, "join me Kathryn. Cerberus would be tickled pink to have a Spectre on their side."

"You're fucking crazy," she hissed tightening her finger on the trigger of her rifle, "and it's not three one one… it's two," and before he could respond she shouted, "Wrex now," as she squeezed the trigger diving to the side.

Donald shouted in rage as several bullets pinged off his armor but didn't have long to yell as a biotic push threw him from his feet and into the wall. Shepard ducked back into cover and fired catching Mike in the throat sending him to his knees clutching his throat.

Shepard watched as Wrex fired a shotgun blast into Alan from near point blank badly mangling his insides and knocking him off his feet. She winced as the man's screams of agony filled the room and saw him trying to pile his guts back in. A second shot from Wrex finished the poor devil off, but moments later the massive krogan reared back as bullets pinged off his helmet.

Taking aim Shepard put Donald in her sights and squeezed off half a dozen rounds putting him down for the count. Wrex shoot his head like a dog before moving over to stop on the ex-commander's leg causing it to shatter beneath his foot. Donald let loose a scream of pure agony, "We need to check their omi-tools and destroy the data before we head back."

Wrex grunted and promptly tore Krechenko's right arm off to access the omi-tool. Shepard watched him wide eyed before kneeling down next to Donald's whimpering figure, "You fucking little bitch. If you want to whore around for the Council then that's your problem," he hissed gurgling up blood. His eyes hardened, "You spread your legs for your turian yet," he snarled.

Shepard blinked thrown off by his claim, "What," she wasn't sleeping with Garrus. She hadn't even thought about it before… she concealed a grimaced, alright she'd thought about it more than once, but Garrus was her friend and at the moment the only one she had, "shut the fuck up."

The former N7 laughed; a wet gurgling sound as blood spewed from his mouth, "Fuck Shepard he's using you. He'll charm you and get into your pants then throw you away when he's done. He doesn't give a damn about… alien's they're all the same," he coughed spewing blood all over the place. It was a sight that burned itself into her brain.

XXX

"Fuck it bird brain," Petty Officer Quincy cursed, "I got a fuck'in hole in my leg I need to take a fuck'in break."

Garrus glared at Quincy with his badly bandaged who was being supported by Lindsey on his non-wounded shoulder. It was getting dark and he was struggling with the urge to shoot them both right here and now and be down with it. However he was sure Shepard and the Alliance would want to interrogate them.

"We don't have time before the comm cut out. Shepard said she was headed back towards the colony," Garrus ground out inches from the man's face, "she could be walking into a trap. We need to get there first," the turian let a low menacing growl issuing out from chest, "if I have to kill you then so be it."

The rouge commando grimaced before looking over at his teammate, "Fine," he grumbled angrily.

Garrus was about to say something else, something very impolite, when he heard Tali say worriedly, "You hear that?"

"What," Williams responded shouldering her rifle and scanning the buildings.

There was a wet gurgling, slushy should and Garrus tilted his head to hear it better. There it was again Garrus mused. It didn't sound like the geth or anything else he heard of before. Slowly he moved his thumb to switch off the safety as he scanned the dilapidated buildings for any signs of movement, "Anyone see anything," he asked throwing a glance to Williams then to Tali.

"Negative," Williams said and Tali followed with a quick 'no,'

Garrus continued to scanning the buildings with his keen avian eyes. He was about to lower his rifle and chalk it up to nerves when he definitely saw some movement, "Contact three o'clock," he shouted and Williams and Tali rushed up next to him with rifles held ready. From the shadows emerged a sickly puke green, vaguely humanoid with sulfurous sunken yellow eyes, rotted skin and long twelve inch claws sprouting from where its finger nails would be . The thing seemed hesitant to come out into the light and Garrus hoped it would last.

"What is it," Tali hissed.

"I have no idea," Garrus responded, "Quincy, Lindsey," he growled at the two former Alliance commandos about ready to kill them. This was the kind of sickening shit that Cerberus involved itself in and if this thing was once a colonist he was going to kill those two regardless of what Shepard wanted.

"Don't look at us we have no fuck'in idea," Lindsey cursed slowly backing away from the creature.

Garrus raised his rifle and fire a single shot blowing the creature in two, "You know I hope," Williams started but was cut off as a unholy wail issued from the buildings all around them, "I hope that was the only one," she finished weakly.

"Let's move," the turian said eagerly as the formerly empty buildings now seemed to be crawling with 'life', "I don't want to be around here when the sun goes down," he said eagerly.

The squad plus two prisoners made their way as quick as they could through the streets of the ancient Prothean city. As the team moved Garrus kept glancing at the buildings around them with concern and every so often he'd see a pair of sulfur yellow eyes staring back at him. What concerned him even more was the rapidly retreating sun line.

"We're almost there," Tali said excitedly and they were. They were less than two hundred meters from enormous staircase that would take them back up to the plateau upon which the colony rested. Once up there they would have a far easier time defending from those creatures.

As they got closer they saw the defensive fortification and bunkers the security personal had deployed to help protect the colony from the geth. Garrus was about to shout at them that they needed help when the colonial security personal opened up on them. While Garrus, Tali and William's managed to dive out of the way and take cover behind some rubble the ex- N7s weren't as lucky and took the full bursts. They were so badly mangled that Garrus didn't even need to check to know they were dead.

"Cease-fire," he called out at the top of his lungs, "Cease-fire," but the ExoGeni guards just kept shooting. Not seeing any other option. Daylight was slowly passing by and then those creatures could run amok. He paused not wanting to but not seeing any other choice, "Take'm out!"

XXX

Shepard and her team ran at almost a dead pace firing at some kind of horrible zombie like creatures as they did. That had dropped the doctor off at the shelter with a promise that they'd send help as soon as they could.

As she ran and gunned her mind replayed Donald's conversation over and over again in her head. Was he right? She didn't think so but at the moment she was more frightened of the thought that Garrus was using her than of the creatures they were fighting.

Her rifle whined as it over-heated, bring her back to reality, and after ejecting the spent heat sink Shepard slammed her last one into the rifle and chambered the next round, "Move, move, move," she shouted the unnecessary commanded.

Both Wrex and Alenko were both lit up in a blue haze as they relied on their biotic to deal devastating carnage. With one last burst of energy Shepard leapt out of the dark dank building they had been fighting through and out onto the barely lit street. Rolling on her back she fired several long burst down the corridor they had just came.

To her amazement the creatures paused at the door seemingly unwilling to risk the sunlight's wrath, "I'll be," Alenko said in a long exhale, "they don't like sun."

Wrek said nothing but instead emptied his shotgun into the breach until the creatures in the doorway fled back into the darkness. Rising to her feet she glanced up to the heavens. The sun was fading fast and she didn't want to be caught out after nightfall.

It took the team about twenty minutes and a brief elevator ride to get back to the base of the plateau and when they did the first site Shepard was the bodies of two dead N7's, Quincy and Lindsey, and as they moved towards the stairs the found more dead colonists and guards. With every step she took she felt her heart beat a little fast in fear and concern. Concern for what happened to the colonists, her team and Garrus and fear of what was going to happen.

Carefully they ascended the stairs finding more bodies, all shot, along the way. When they reached the top they were only greeted with more bodies. Shepard heard both Alenko and Wrex curse under their breath and felt the urge to do the same.

"Shepard," he heard a familiar voice breathe.

"Garrus," she said smiling beneath her helmet, "What happened," she added the smile fading and her eyes widened, gesturing around to all the bodies of the colonists, "what'd you do?"

"It wasn't his fault commander," Williams argued coming to the forefront, "the colonists attacked us. They didn't give us any choice it was like they were possessed or something," she explained pointing the barrel of her rifle at the corpses.

"It must have been the Thorian," Alenko said softly looking mournfully at the bodies. At the questioning looks he explained, "it's a plant like creature that emits these spores that it uses to force compliance in its minions or that's at least what Doctor Baynham said. Cerberus used the colonists as test subjects for their little experiment."

"Damn," Garrus hissed, "those bastards!"

As they talked Shepard's mind whirled through what they needed to do. First off they needed to seal the colony off from the rest of the city, "Tali," she said quickly, "there was a crane back there. Go grab one of the prefab buildings and wedge it up against the entrance. Williams go with her."

Tali nodded and Williams shouted out an, "Aye Commander," before taking off.

"Can we get the Normandy on the comm," she asked Garrus. He'd got there before her and she would have bet he'd have tried to contact the _Normandy_.

The turian shook his head, "They trashed the comms before we…," he trailed off looking guilty, "I had Tali look at it but it's not just disabled its broken into hundreds of pieces.

Shepard grimaced and checked the mission clock in her helmet. The mission parameters they set up had the ground team contacting the _Normandy _every hour with mission updates by patching into the colony's transceiver. Without the beacon they couldn't reach the _Normandy_ unless it was almost directly overhead. Unfortunately for them their last contact with the _Normandy_ had been about twenty minutes ago so Lieutenant Moreua wouldn't be expecting them for at least another forty.

Shepard laid her hand gently on his shoulder, "We need to get out of this before we deal with anything else. The ExoGeni researchers said the Thorian was located somewhere underneath the colony."

Garrus looked at her curiously, "After we got here I had the area searched for any other ways those… things… could get in. Other way the main entrance we didn't find any," he paused before adding, "do you think they lied?"

Tilting her head she thought about it. Somehow she didn't think the rest of the researcher would dare cross her after what she did to the suit. She was about to say as much when Williams shouted, "Commander we found something over here."

"Williams, Tali what's taking so long," she shouted back as she and Garrus headed back towards them, "we need to get that entrance sealed up before… whoa," she amended as she saw what Williams was talking about.

The prefab Tali had lifted up had revealed a concealed stairway, "Well they said it was under the colony," Garrus quipped as he glanced at her.

Standing at the edge of the stairs with her rifle aimed down into the blackness she flipped on her night-vision and peered in. She didn't see anything except a winding staircase, "You with me Garrus," she asked raising her eyebrow.

He nodded, "Always," and slung his rifle over his shoulder before drawing his pistol.

"Alenko," she called to her nominal third-in-command, "get the entrance to the colony sealed up. We don't have much time before the sun sets. The rest of you hold the fort until we get back."

"Aye, aye Commander."

XXX

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Enter," Admiral Steven Hackett the Commanding Officer of the Alliance Fifth Fleet said from his chair at his desk. He was currently reading over the latest intelligence reports from Alliance Intel and Naval Intelligence. Sliding to the next page of the report he continued to read even as he heard the clicking of heels on the metal floor.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Kiara Tai- Chin reporting sir," the lithe Asian woman in an Alliance Navy Uniform with an Intelligence badge on the collar said standing attention.

Hackett glanced up at the woman, "At ease Miss Chin you have something to report?"

The intelligence officer handed him a datapad, "The Council's finally given us permission to move into secure Feros," she slipped into an at-ease stance, "the authorization is all there."

The Admiral briefly scanned the datapad, "Very good Miss Chin. Have the fleet make ready to depart and forward a tight-beam communiqué to the Normandy requesting a situation report," he waited for several seconds before looking up from the pad, "that will be all."

"Aye Admiral," the woman said saluting smartly before executing an about face and exiting his office.

When she was gone and the doors sealed behind her the admiral removed an ancient pocket watch from his vest and started the timer. After putting it and the pad down he leaned back in his chair rubbing his chin. He knew that Shepard would do everything with her power to succeed at her mission.

She certainly resourceful; he smiled slightly as he thought of it. In that way she reminded him of her father. William Shepard had been a good friend of his throughout their academy. They'd been the best man at each other's weddings and had served three tours of duty together.

He remembered when the First Contact War broke out and the ill-destined defensive of Shanxi. Before the mission Will had shown him the sonogram of what would be little Kathryn and he had slapped the Will on the back and said the next round of drinks would be on him. Will never made it back and never saw Kathryn born or got to watch her grow up.

Hackett had made it his responsibility to look in on Kathryn from time to time. Shepard had never known and he had made sure she would never know he looked out for her. He smirked again; it would only piss her off. Still he felt a bit of worry whenever he had to order her into action.

Leaning forward so his elbows were resting on the table he picked up his coffee mug and took a large sip of the extra strong coffee that the navy seemed to run on. He grimaced as the liquid burned its way down throat. He glanced down at the watch to see how much time had elapsed. With his free hand he reached out and opened the comm channel, "Captain, report fleet readiness status."

"_All ships green sir_," the captain reported, "_requesting permission to engage FTL drives_."

"Permission granted captain."

Once permission was given the Admiral waited for telltale surge that would signal the ships acceleration to FTL speeds. It was an hour trip to the Relay and then almost three hours from the relay in system to Feros.

The Fifth was the most powerful offensive fleet the Alliance had and in terms of tonnage could match any fleet the turians could field. Hackett was both eager to put the fleet to use and uneasy about engaging a relatively unknown enemy for the very first time.

XXX

The helmets night vision gave everything a strange greenish hue. Slowly Shepard and Garrus moved their rifles shouldered as they progressed deeper into the underground structure, "See anything," she whispered.

"Negative Shepard," he whispered back.

Shepard came to a halt and ran her hand over a vine like growth growing along the ceiling. The moment she touched it, it pulsed and she jerked her hand away, "You see that," she hissed glancing back at Garrus.

The turian nodded, "What the hell is this?"

"The researchers said the Thorian was a plant like creature," Shepard responded and poked the vine again with her rifle causing it to wiggle and writhe, "let's follow these and see where they lead."

As they continued on deeper and deeper into the structure Shepard noticed that the growths were becoming thicker and thicker. With every step she and Garrus took Shepard felt a sense of dread growing in her stomach.

She felt Garrus nudge her and he pointed his pistol down the hall, "See that," he whispered, "there's a doorway up there."

"I see it," the Spectre said chambering a round in her rifle, "lock and load," she ordered before setting the butt of the rifle snuggly against her shoulder. Sliding along the inside wall she and Garrus eventually came up to the archway, "Ready," she asked.

"Ready," he confirmed pulling the slide back on his pistol before letting it slide forward with a resounding 'crack.'

Shepard spun hugging the inside of the wall while Garrus went wide hugging the opposite side. They stormed the cavernous room their weapons waving back and forth as they scanned for hostiles. Suddenly she heard a squishy sound and looked up… and nearly lost her lunch in the process.

"Holy Spirits," Garrus intoned and though Shepard couldn't see his face underneath the black visor of his helmet but she was sure that his face was a mask of surprise and disgust, "this could be… problematic."

Shepard took in the disgusting sight before her. The 'Thorian' as she assumed that's what this was putrefying mass of a fleshy looking substance that hung supported by tendrils that were thicker than she was tall. She was staring at something that looked like a face and a tentacle like beard that descended from its 'face.'

"Things can never be simple can they," Shepard said though gritted teeth as she trained her rifle on the Thorian. Suddenly the Thorian's 'mouth,' 'beard' or whatever spasm in a way that reminded Shepard of a human gagging. The creature gagged several times its tentacles spreading further apart with each gag and spittle poured from its mouth.

"Oh my God," Shepard whispered as something started to emerge and with a sickening popping sound a figure emerged dropping down to its knees.

The figure, a sickly green skinned and completely naked asari, glanced up with dead eyes. Both Shepard and Garrus immediately trained their weapons on the figure as it stood and spoke, "Invaders your every step is a transgression," the asari said monotone, "a thousand feelers appraise you as meat only good for digging or to decompose. I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You stand before the Thorian…it commands you be in awe," it finished haughtily

"You gave something to Saren," Shepard barked harshly her finger tensing on the trigger, "something I need."

"Saren sought knowledge of those who came before," the asari said, "the Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in a long cycle. Deals were made," she added, "then cold ones began killing the ones who would tend the next cycle. Fresh freely given," it said with a touch of anger in its tone, "the Old Growth sees the air you push as lies. It will listen no more."

"You'll give me what I need or I'll kill you," Shepard growled having decided she heard enough from the naked alien, "then I'll torch you."

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that," the asari started to say, but was cut off as Shepard put a round through her head. The asari's head violently snapped back and the body crumpled to the ground.

"Sorry that's the wrong answer," the Spectre said deadpan. She took several steps forward, "You've got one last chance to give me what you gave Saren before I kill you," she said calmly with steel lacing her tone.

The Thorian said nothing, not that Shepard thought it could speak on its own, but instead it let out a ear splitting earthy groan and moments later that grow was answer and a familiar mournful wail.

Garrus cursed while at the same time Shepard let out a breathy, "Fuck," as she and Garrus went back to back slowly spinning as the mournful wail filled the stale air again. Despite the fact that they were no doubt surrounding by plant zombie things Shepard felt comforted that Garrus was with her.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and shifted and squeezed the trigger sending a hail of metal slivers hurdling into the Thorian's… creepers. Shepard was careful to fire only in shorts bursts. She only had two heat sinks left including the one currently inserted in the rifle. They couldn't do this all day, "Garrus take my rifle!"

"What," the turian shouted back, "I'm a little busy here."

"Just do it,' she said unlatching the suspender from her vest while still shooting, "On three… one… two… three," and with that she let go of the trigger and slammed the handle into Garrus's outstretched hand. The turian closed his hand around the handle and like some old west gunslinger stood with a pistol in one hand and a rifle in the other blasting way at the creepers.

Not wasting anytime Shepard knelt down and pulled two blocks of C-12, a detonator and a rolled of tape from her vest pockets. Swiftly she wrapped the plastic explosives together with the tape then pushed the three prong detonator into the block of explosive. Judging the distance she heaved back and hurled the explosives at the 'face' of the Thorian, "Down," she shouted pulling him down with her. When the explosive hit its apogee Shepard activated the detonator.

The explosive detonated sending out a shock wave that knocked everything in the room off its feet. Removing her hands from her head she glanced up and saw all the creepers lying on the floor unmoving. Lifting her head she smiled as she saw the charges had blown a gaping hole in the Thorian. About half the creature was missing and several of the tendrils were cut deeply. There was a rending sound as one tendril after another gave way and the Thorian tumbled down into the abyss.

Rolling over to the edge Shepard glanced down into the darkness but even with her helmet set to night vision she couldn't see the bottom of the underground canyon. Rolling back over she was Garrus was still lying still and a brief burst of fear shot through her irrational though it was because a brief glance at her HUD told her his vitals were strong.

"Next time warn me when you're going to do something like that Shepard," Garrus groaned as he pulled off his helmet, rolled onto his stomach, pulled his legs underneath him and pushed himself up.

"Will do Garrus," she said smiling a she pushed herself to her feet and accepted her rifle back from him and re-clipped it to her vest.

"What about the info it gave to Saren," the turian question turning a black masked gaze to her.

Shepard was about to answer when a female voice filled the air, "Hello is anyone there."

XXX

Garrus watched warily as the Asari Commando Shiala told her tale. He listened patiently as the commando explained Matriarch Benezia decision to join Saren and attempt to 'guide him down a gentler path' and her failure and corruption.

She told them of Saren's massive flagship called _Sovereign _and it's supposed ability to control or influence the minds of Saren's followers. Personally he found it easier to believe in a corrupt asari Matriarch than an evil ghostship which controls minds.

Finally she got down to the reason they were here. Apparently Saren had traded the commando to the Thorian in exchange for something call the Cipher. As the asari explained it the beacon on Eden Prime was meant for a prothean mind and the Cipher was the essence of what it meant to be a prothean and would allow her to understand the beacon.

When she offered to mind meld with Shepard to transfer the Cipher to her mind he decided to interrupt, "Shepard you can't be serious," he growled inserting himself between her and the asari, "she's already admitted she's worked for Saren. You can't allow her to screw around with your mind," he pleaded.

Slowly Shepard reached up and undid the latches of her helmet before removing said helmet, "I don't like it either Garrus," she said softly.

Garrus grimaced at the thought of losing her and bowed his head so she wouldn't see the tears at the corners of his that threatened to fall. Without warning he suddenly found her arms around his waist and her chest against his. Slowly he moved his own arms so they were around her waist. She was slightly shorter than him so she had to tilt her head at a slight angle as he tilted his own head down so they could gaze to each other's eyes. Blue met blue and he whispered with a voice full of anguish, "I can't lose you Shepard."

The Spectre gave him a smile, genuine happy smile and whispered, "Don't worry Garrus. I'll be fine."

Garrus wanted to argue to say something to dissuade her but he couldn't find any words that he thought would change her mind so instead he brought his free hand up to gently rake his talons through her hair, "Okay."

He took a step out of the way and let Shepard step forward, "I'm ready," she said sounding like this was the last thing she wanted to do, "let's get it over with."

The asari glanced at Shepard then over to Garrus, "Have no fear no permanent harm will come to your beloved."

Beloved… that thought rattled around in Garrus's head. He cared for Shepard a great deal, but love… did he love her… he considered the question carefully. To be honest he wasn't sure if he did but he knew that he could. He glanced at Shepard and she had a pensive look on her face and Garrus wasn't sure what that meant.

The asari stepped up to Shepard and took her ahead in her hands, "Relax Commander…," and when the commander calmed down the asari intoned as her eyes went black, "Embrace eternity!"

Garrus watched anxiously as he heard Kara's breathing slow and as she went completely still. For several longs seconds they remained like that. A second stretched into half a minute, half a minute into a minute, a minute into two minutes before the asari broke contact and Shepard gasped and stumbled back.

He was on it in half a second as he rushed behind Kara and caught her before she fell, "Shepard you all right," he questioned franticly for her wellbeing.

"Fuck," she swore groggily, "we need to get out of here I'm not…," she shuddered and emptied the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

Slipping her arm around his neck he looked at the asari, "Let's get out of here."

XXX

Hackett started the swirling pinks, reds and blues of space through the distortion of FTL. Of course this image was from camera and not through an actual viewport. The CIC of an Alliance Dreadnaught was located deep in the heart of the ship where it was most protected from enemy fire.

Briefly he glanced at the mission clock which counted down the time until the Fleet would exit from superluminal speeds. The clock it 00:00:00 and the _Orizaba _shuttered briefly as it emerge from FTL.

"Sensors," Captain Strasbourg called out.

"Aye Captain," the combat sensor officer said typing furiously at his console, "detecting thirty plus geth ships … three cruiser analogs and numerous other supports ships."

Hackett nodded that was what the _Normandy _had reported, "Action stations set condition one throughout the fleet," he ordered to the captain who then proceeded to bellow out the order across the entire bridge

The fifth had the geth significantly outgunned. He had the _Orizaba_, a dreadnaught, three carriers, twelve cruisers, almost thirty frigates organized into three ten ship 'wolf pack' flotillas and over a thousand fighters.

"Captain," the sensor officer spoke up, "the geth fleet is breaking formation and heading at extreme sublight speed out system."

"Comm signal the fleet to move in formation and take up a defensive position over the colony," Captain ordered, "and deploy fighters in a screening formation around the fleet," he glanced at the Admiral, "anything else admiral?"

"Send out a wide spectrum broadcast," the Admiral ordered, "I want the Normandy on the comm."

The captain relayed the order and the comm officer went to work. The seconds ticked by after the message when out waiting for the stealth ship to respond. "Captain the Normandy just appeared on LADAR," the sensor officer reported.

"_Orizaba this is Lieutenant Jeff Moreau of the Normandy_," a male voice said over the static filled comm, "_requesting permission to join the fleet_."

The captain nodded and the comm officer said, "Permission granted Normandy proceed on vector 216 by 745 maintain steady speed inbound."

"Give me the comm son," the Admiral said and the young officer immediately did so. When the officer nodded Hackett said, "Lieutenant Moreau put Commander Shepard on the comm."

"_Uhhh negative Admiral_," the pilot said nervously, "_Commander Shepard's in the med bay getting patched up after the ground mission. Though we have a prisoner we need to turn over and Shepard would like meet with you in private… something about what happened on the planet_."

"Very well we'll proceed to airlock three forward port-side docking, Hackett out," he replied before turning to the Captain, "Set condition two until the geth vacate the system."

XXX

Having finished drying off Shepard wrapped the towel around herself and stepped from the shower. After a brief trip to medical she had decided to clean up. She had a meeting with the Admiral in an hour and after that a conference with the Council about the situation on Feros.

Setting out from her bathroom she walked into her bedroom/living room while using a separate towel to dry her hair. For moment she was worried that Hackett would reprimand her for what happened to the colonists but quickly remembered that one, she was a Council Spectre and two he'd have to realizethat there was nothing else that could have been done.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Her eyes going wide she pulled the towel away from her hair and pulled her other hand in to hold up the towel, "Garrus," she breathed, "What are you doing here?"

Garrus was staring at her wide eyed and mandibles flared as he was unable to tear his gaze from her form. At the moment Shepard wasn't sure if she should be offended he was here or flattered that he apparently found her attractive.

"Shep-Shepard," Garrus stuttered and Shepard watched as he glanced up and down her scantily clad form, "I wanted… uhhh I wanted to talk."

"About what," she whispered feeling a lump catch in her throat. She should have told him to get the hell out or something to that extent, but the haze, the passion in those icy blue predatory eyes. Instead of fury or anger she only felt heat pool in her lower regions.

"Us," was his one word answer. He paused before taking several steps towards her until he was only inches from her, "Shepard I need an answer… is there an us… can there ever be an us?"

All of Donald's accusations swam up before her eyes and she grit her teeth. Donald had been lying. Garrus was her friend and would never use her in such a way, but was there a future for them? Hell she'd never been a by the book type of officer or person. She wasn't Alliance Navy anymore so she didn't have regulations to worry about and the only rules for Spectres were don't embarrass the Council.

"We do Garrus," she whispered resting her head on his chest and he proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist, "we can… have a future. I want a future with you."

She felt Garrus reach up and with the fore-talon of his right hand brought it up under her chin and titled her head back. She could tell by his movement he was nervous and to be honest so was she. Steeling herself she pressed her lips against his own.

Opening her mouth she ran her tongue against the plates of his mouth. Hesitantly he opened his mouth and they soon found both their tongues dueling for dominance. Finally because of lack of air she broke the kiss, "Wow Shep-" Garrus started but she cut him off by placing her finger over his mouth.

"Kara," she whispered sliding her hands up his sides until she cradled his face, "you can call me Kara… only you."

Within seconds of that declaration she felt Garrus's taloned hands on her bare ass and his muzzle buried in her neck. He pushed against her and she backpedaled until she felt her shoulder blades knock against the wall of her quarters, "Spirits you smell so good," he said huskily and Kara felt his tongue dart out and lick her at the base her neck met her shoulder.

"God Garrus," she moaned breathlessly as she felt him lick a particularly sensitive spot and she felt her hips buck up against him in an involuntarily response. Her hands went from his face down to his buckled where she fumbled to undo the clasps.

"Kara," she heard her name tumble from his 'lips' as he bucked into her hands and her towel fell from around her chest leaving her completely bare. She heard him grunt and felt as he dug her talons into her bottom as he lifted her into the air. Instinctively she wrapped her long pale legs around his waist.

"Fuck Garrus," she hissed throwing back her ahead as her turian nipped once at her neck before shifting his attention from her neck to her painfully aching breasts, "ohhh soooo good." They teetered around the room bumping into things and sending them crashing to the floor until Shepard felt herself falling back into her own bed with Garrus right on top of her.

The grappled with one another as she helped rip off his shirt and pull his pants down to his spurs. In one swift movement Shepard flipped them both so Garrus was on his back and she was straddling him. Once again ice blue eyes met ice blue eyes and Shepard felt him lift her up and position her over him. Kara closed her eyes…

There was a swishing sound, "Commander, Commander," a familiar and excited voice shouted, "I…"

Shepard felt her eyes snap open upon in horror and she glanced over to the open hatch and the woman standing, mouth gapping, in the hatch. Shepard felt her whole body flush red as she glanced down at Garrus and back at Liara. Letting herself fall into her bed she was thankful that Garrus almost immediately covered her with a blanket.

She appreciated his protection of her modesty, what little of it was left. She felt Garrus protectively snake his arms around her waist and possessively pull her back right up against his plates, "Uhh Liara shut the door please," she said amazed at how calm her voice sounded.

Wordlessly the asari nodded and closed the door gently. She turned back, "Uhmmmm high," she said with a slight wave, "sooooo you and Garrus…," she trailed off ending with the obvious question.

"Yep," she said watching the asari very carefully, "we're… together."

"That's good," Liara said conversationally look really uncomfortable, "that's… wonderful."

"Did you want something," Shepard heard Garrus grunt from behind her and felt as he buried his face in her hair.

"I got a call from one of my mother's friends," she started suddenly finding a portion of the floor extremely interesting, "I put out a couple of feelers when I first came on board that I was looking for my mother. I just heard back from one."

"And," Kara questioned propping herself on her elbow, careful to keep herself covered.

"She's on Noveria," Liara said firmly before tilting her head. She paused before venturing hesitantly, "Weren't you supposed to meet the Admiral?"


	6. Chapter 5: The Freezer

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 5: The Freezer

"And they say hell is hot," Shepard muttered as she started at the enormous white-blue ball glowing out the forward viewport. Noveria from everything she heard and read the planet was a giant frozen tundra where a human being could die from only second of exposure to the temperatures that constantly hovered less than a hundred degrees from absolute zero.

And yet Noveria hosted life because it was outside, but not too far outside, Council Space and therefore the jurisdiction of the Council their Spectres. To date Noveria housed representatives and outlets from dozens of major corporations all of which settled here to avoid Citadel conventions, regulations and ethical conundrums.

"Alright Lieutenant take us in," she said from her position behind the pilots chair.

Joker nodded as manipulated the flight controls of the Normandy and sent her flying into the upper atmosphere of the frozen world. His fingers danced over the council as he opened comm line to the port authority, "Approach Control, this is the SSV Normandy, Requesting approach vector and a berth," he said calmly into the communicator.

"_Normandy_," a terse voice bit back, "_your arrival is not scheduled. Our defensive grid is armed and tracking you. State your business."_

Joker leaned forward when Shepard stopped him by gently setting her hand on her shoulder. Leaning forward she said, "This Agent Shepard of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance I'm her on business for the Citadel Council," she finished and stood back waiting to see what their reaction would be.

"_Roger_…," the operator said, "_Ahh granting access Normandy_…," there was a paused and Shepard assumed that the operator was checking with someone else, "_be advised we're confirming identification. If identification cannot be established your vessel will be impounded_."

"Roger that control," Joker said into the comm, "Normandy out." Turning back to face her he continued, "Cheery bunch aren't they," he joked, "I think I'll take my next shore leave here."

"If you can afford it Lieutenant," she said dryly, "then by all means. Just get us landed first before you start planning your vacation. "

"Aye commander," retorted, "Bringing the ship into dock."

Shepard nodded, "Inform Officer Vakarian I want to see him in the briefing room ASAP."

"Aye commander," Joker said again with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Frowning Shepard growled, "Something amusing Lieutenant," ever since the Citadel shipboard gossip had been talking about the commander and 'her turian.' Before she had dismissed them as the crew being idiots, but now the rumors were true. After Liara had caught them in a… comprising position Shepard had been a bit nervous, but the asari promised she wouldn't say anything.

However from her years of experience in the navy she knew no shipboard secret would remain secret for long. The rank and file of the navy had a way of weeding out secrets better than any intelligence or internal affairs agent could ever do. The rumor that she and Garrus were together was the scuttlebutt of the ship. It was a rumor that she had done nothing about. She also learned that the more you denied something the more likely people were to believe it.

"No ma'am," he said covering his smile by turning back to his console.

"See that it stays that way," she growled before turning and heading towards the Normandy's briefing room.

XXX

Garrus ignored the stares and guarded glances of the ship's crew. Sometimes he'd hear Shepard's name amongst the whispers. It'd taken him some time to get use to the thought that human crewmembers weren't allowed to 'fraternize' as they called it. Onboard turian ships personal relationships were permitted as long as they didn't effect performance.

At first he was worried Shepard was going to call their relationship off as one giant mistake. To his immense joy he discovered that she had decided to continue it. In fact the moment she had finished addressing the Council she had hightailed it back to her quarters and to him. They'd spent entirely the entire trip to Noveria together.

He purred a deep purr issuing from the center of his chest as he thought about her before he caught himself remembering that he was out in the open.

"_Officer Vakarian to the briefing room… Officer Vakarian to the briefing room_," he heard Joker's voice play over the comm.

Stopping and turning around he started heading towards stairs with a quick pace. With them closing on Noveria he was sure this had something to do with the upcoming mission. Finally he made his way up to the command deck and past the CIC. Stopping at the blast doors she punched his ID code into the reader and the doors slid open.

Garrus stepped in and the doors slid closed. He glanced around the circular room and was surprised to find that they were alone, "What's going on Kara," surely she didn't bring him here to… He suddenly blinked as he looked at her. She wasn't in her Alliance fatigues or dress uniform. She was in the same outfit when he first met her, that old jacket of hers and jeans.

The Spectre smiled and embraced him, "I'm not taking the whole team out when we dock at Noveria City. It's just going to be you and me for a while before we figure out what's going on," she smirked again, "you're going to want to change out of that."

He glanced down. What he was wearing was similar to standard turian style fatigues he had worn in his army days. He didn't have any right to where a uniform anymore because he wasn't in the army or in C-Sec any longer but he still like the look and feel of militaristic uniforms, "What's wrong with it?"

"You won't blend in very well," she replied, "I don't want to attract too much attention why we're down there."

"Loud-out," he questioned. He heard Noveria was a tough place and just not because of the cold. If they we're going down as civies they couldn't be loaded for bear. However he doubted Kara would ever go anywhere completely unarmed.

Shepard opened her jacket revealing two pistols holstered under each arm pit. Closing her jacket she wordlessly knelt and drew a long knife from her right boot before sheathing it and standing up, "Whatever you can conceal."

Flaring his mandibles in the turian version of a smile he nodded, "Whatever I can conceal," he repeated, "I can deal with that," he said running through a list of the weapons he could manage to conceal on his person… there were quite a few.

Kara zipped back up her jacket and added, "We touch down in a few minutes. So let's meet at the airlock in ten."

"In ten then," he said and turned and left.

XXX

Shoot, cover, move, shoot and a blue white armored body fell to the floor. It was a pattern so ingrained he didn't have to even think about. Shoot, cover, move, shoot and another Blue Sun fell with a hole him his head. Saren shifted and aimed at three more Blue Suns appeared rifle in hand and he shot all three of them in the head.

There was a glint of steel as he drew his long serrated, curved knife and a squirt of blood as a merc fell uselessly clutching at his neck. Another Blue Sun saw him and turned his weapon upon the rouge spectre but Saren faster than anone could have though possible raised his pistol and shot the merc in the hand.

The man dropped screaming in pain as he clenched his now worthless appendage. Saren shifted his aim to the man's faceless helmet but after several seconds lowered and holstered his weapon. Instead he stalked, like an Angel of Death, his way over to the merc and stood behind him.

With a savage twist Saren snapped the neck of the last Blue Sun mercenary in the compound. Weeks ago he'd used this particular cell of Blue Suns on an operation inside Council Space where he couldn't use the geth. Geth managed to attract attention and six feet tall walking toasters didn't blend with the local populace.

They'd been key in the procurement of a certain artifact necessary to his plans. However they were now expendable and worse were a loose end. He tracked them to their base in the Terminus and proceeded to use his geth vessels to wipe them out. After all they were mercenaries and their only loyalty was to credits ad he couldn't risk them selling their service or knowledge to the highest bidder.

"_Saren Arterius, Spectre all Blue Suns eliminated. Beacon is secure_," a white plated geth trooper reported, "_awaiting orders._"

"Sweep the area again," he growled making a slashing motion with his hand, "There can be no mistakes. Not like on Therum or Feros."

"_By your command_," the shock trooper replied as it raised its rifle.

He turned to the remaining troopers and barked, "Secure the beacon for transport to Virmire."

Saren watched the geth leave with barely concealed disgust written all over his face. Twice he entrusted them with a mission of critical importance and twice they had failed him. Saren wasn't a forgiving person by any means and was quite fed up with failure.

That was why he sent Matriarch Benezia and her household guard to Noveria to oversee his latest project and perhaps more importantly kill that insolent Shepard if or when she showed up. The Alliance commander had been a thorn in his side for far too long and it was time for that thorn to be pulled out.

Spinning on his heel he stormed his way back through the compound spoiling for a fight. The few geth that stood in his way were smart enough to get out of his way as he tore through the hallway. The metal clanking of his boots on the deck ramp echoed throughout the compound as the rouge Spectre marched into his shuttlecraft.

With a savage motion he spun back and yanked the manual level to seal the hatch, "Take me back to Sovereign," he growled towards the cockpit.

Two geth units glanced back at him and their headlamp likes heads bobbed, "_By your command_."

XXX

Shepard and Garrus stepped out of the airlock and into the umbilical which connected the _Normandy _to the port structure. The Noveria City main port was in some was like an airlock itself. Ships entered through one set of massive doors which closed behind the ship and an inner set of door opened to allow the ship into the port hanger proper. The reason for this was to keep the freezing air outside from making its way into the port hanger where it could do great damage to the personal and equipment there in Noveria City itself

When the unlikely pair stepped out of the umbilical they were immediately greeted by three humans in police or quasi-police uniforms. As the only law on Noveria was whatever the corporate board decide it was. To police this world they used mercenaries and private security forces to keep the order and collect the dues.

The first thing Shepard noticed was the woman was flanked by the two guards had stars on her neck… a police captain, "Stop right there," the police captain barked and the other two officers pumped the slide on their shotguns.

Shepard briefly glanced at Garrus, "Is there a problem officer?"

The police captain pulled out a badge and said, "I'm Captain Matsuo head of port authority. This is an unscheduled visit. I need your credentials."

Shepard crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow, "Agent Shepard Special Tactics and Recon."

"Load of horseshit ma'am," the blonde female officer to the captain's left spat.

"We're going need to search your ship and take your weapons," the captain said suddenly her eyes hard, "Sergeant Stirling secure their weapons!"

"Like hell you are," the Shepard snarled and drew both her weapons, "I'm a Spectre and the Normandy is an Alliance warship. There's no way you're getting my weapons or searching my ship."

A Mexican standoff ensued with Shepard and Garrus standing the three security officer down with weapons drawn. The captain's face fell into a mask of anger, "You are aware," she said her voice burning with rage, "that threating a Noveria security officer is an offense punishable by death."

Shepard glared at her, "And what do you think the Council will do to you if you kill one of their Spectres," the commander taunted, "Pride demands in the very least that the perpetrator be punished." Shepard was taking the gamble that the Noverian corporate leadership would understand that screwing with a Spectre, the strong arm of the Council and a symbol of their power, would be far too risky an enterprise to undertake, "so what's it going to be?"

For a second though Shepard thought she had miscalculated and the captain would order her officers to open fire but thankfully it never came to that. The police captain raised her hand to her ear piece and after several abortive attempts at argument she grit out a weary "Yes Sir."

Not beginning able to resist the commander grinned, "I take it I win?"

The captain's face twitched before she barked to her lackeys, "Lower your weapons…," she turned back to Shepard eyes burning, "apparently Spectres and their compatriots," she said directed at Garrus, "are allowed to carry weapons… Mr. Smith is waiting for you up stairs."

"Smith," she questioned?

"A rep for the corporate board," Matsuo spat, "now I have an entire port to look after so if you don't mind… get the hell out."

Shepard threw the woman a single finger salute as she holstered her side-arms and they headed toward the elevator.

"You enjoyed that," she heard Garrus accuse were out of earshot.

She felt a small smile cross her lips as she turned her head to face him, "She was a bitch… so yah I did."

Garrus merely chuckled and shock his head, "Spirits Shepard you're..." he just trailed off with another shake of his head.

The elevator ride out of the hanger bay and into the customs building took less than a minute and when they stepped off they found an impeccably dressed light skinned man in a while suit waiting for them, "Agent Shepard," he said with a smile on his face as he extended his hand, "I'm Mr. Sith I represent the corporate board on Noveria."

After a second or two of hesitation Shepard reached out and took the man's hand, "Nice to meet you." She was a bit surprised by him. He grip was hard and firm and his stance made him out to be more than just a rep.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," he continued. It was said eyes were the window to the soul and when Shepard caught his eyes she recognized that this man was a trained killer… as the saying went it took one to know one. If she was a betting gal she would wager this man did a lot of the board's wetwork, "what brings a Spectre of all people to Noveria."

"I'm hunting a traitor," she said studding his face carefully.

The smile slipped from his face for a second and he released her hand before the smile returned, "Noveria City is a big place will hundreds of ship loading and offloading every day. I afraid it will be extremely difficult to track down a single individual."

"I don't think that will be a problem," she countered, "She'll be hard to miss," throwing the man a bone to see just how intelligence this man was. She narrowed her eyes as she saw a flash of realization in the man's eyes, "so if you just point me at the head of port authority."

"That would be administrator Anoleis ," Mr. Smith provided, "but unfortunately its afterhours had he's gone home for the night," at her un-amused look he swiftly added, "I'll set you up for an appointment first thing tomorrow," he paused before turning to Garrus, "I apologized Mister.…," he trailed off.

"Vakarian," Garrus replied extending his own hand so they could shake.

"Now that the pleasantries have been taken care of," he said straightening up, "now the board has taken the liberty of providing you a penthouse at Neri Hotel… it's reputed to be the best hotel on the planet."

Shepard coly regarded him, "They wouldn't be trying to bribe me… now would they? Perhaps in exchange for a favorable report to the Council," she ventured.

Mr. Smith merely smiled and extended his arm towards the door, "This way Agent Shepard, Mister Vakarian there's a limo waiting outside."

XXX

"_I can't see it. I can't see it_," the panicked voice of his wingman, Klick, broke over the comm, "_Where the hell is he?_"

Naval Lieutenant Adam "Ares" Lee jerked hard on the stick sending his Lockheed-Martian F-203 Raptor IV Space Superiority Interceptor into a brutal seventy degree left turn, "Break left, break left," he barked over the comm. The rate of the acceleration slammed him back into his seat as they tried to shake their relentless opponent, "Chuckles," he called to another pilot, "Ares can lend you a hand!"

"_Negat_-," Chuckles started to sa but his comm broke off and a brief fireball was visuable at the far left of Ares cockpit view before it was snuffed out by the vacuum of space.

"Dammit," Ares cursed as he jerked the stick again as several rounds flew right by his cockpit, "Alright Klick let's pull a Crazy Ivan."

"_Ivan… fuck_," he heard his wingman curse, "_fine_."

A crazy Ivan was named after an old submarine maneuver the Russian's like to pull. Though different than the original tactic it was crazy as hell so the name stuck, "Now," Ares shouted and let go of the stick with his left, while still holding it with his right, and pulled a lever painted in caution tape colors.

The Raptor's engines cut out and metal frame shrieked as the two maneuvering thrusters under the nose fired for all they were worth. Lee screamed as the Raptor was flipped ass over teakettle and just before the ass end of the Raptor passed the 180 degree mark the onboard computer fired the rear thruster's located on either side of the vertical stabilizer. The rear thruster's fired and with a bone wrenching jolt the Raptor stabilized 180 degrees from its last position and with its nose and more importantly its guns facing the rear.

Lee shouted a war cry and he savagely yanked the trigger sending a hail of bullets at his pursers. The stream of fire sliced through one, then two and a third. Unfortunately before he could react a piece of debris from the first fighter slammed into his cockpit and his world went white before going black.

"_You have been killed in action. Please report to pilots' ready room for full debriefing."_

The cockpit hissed and opened. Lee groaned bringing his right hand to his eyes before rubbing the light away, "Shit," he hissed glancing up and out of the simulator at the CAG, Commander Air Group, for the Carrier Wing on board the SSV _Enterprise_ or the _Big-E_ as the crew like to call the big girl.

"That was a gutsy move Lieutenant," the CAG said sounding more impressed than annoyed.

"Ahh thank you sir," Lee said not quite sure if it was a compliment or not. Reaching up he undid the latches on his helmet and pulled it off and handed it to the CAG so he could pull himself out of the cockpit, "So how are we doing Commander?"

The CAG sighed, "Not good we're at sixty-three percent casualties and rising and no closer to punching a hole in their defenses," he said consulting his datapad.

Lee leaned up against the simulator, "Sir how accurate are these simulations," he asked skeptically. He worried about how accurate the sims were. As far as he knew the only Alliance or Citadel pilots to engage any geth fighter were the Marine aviators on Eden Prime and they were all dead.

He saw a muscle in the CAG's cheek twitch, "The intel boys say they've 'composited a simulation out of the best available data'," he said with air quotes which translated as they were guessing.

The Raptor pilot rubbed the bridge of his nose, "So we have no idea what their full capabilities are?"

"Yep," the CAG said with a shake of his head, "we have no idea what their full capabilities are. Now get your ass to the briefing room."

"Aye commander."

XXX

The aircar finally settled to a stop to the landing deck on the Neri Hotel. Shepard watched through the side window as two attendants ran up to each side of the door and one opened hers for her.

"Agent Shepard," the attendant said holding her door open, "Welcome to the Neri do you have any luggage?"

"Ahh no," she said exiting the limo and straightening her jacket. She glanced at the ornate pillars and columns and that stood like some Greek temple back on Earth, "thank you."

"Agent Shepard, Mister Vakarian," Mr. Smith said with a smile on his face, "If you'll follow me…," he added gesturing to the door, "They have you're suite ready."

Shepard nodded as she allowed Smith to lead her and Garrus up the ruby read carpeted stairs and through the ornately carved pillars and into the hotel/casino. The transparent doors slid open with a hiss revealing rows after rows of slot machines, poker tables, and craps tables. Amongst the patrons were scantily clad asari and human females who were serving drinks and running the tables.

"Do you play Spectre," Mr. Smith intoned no doubt referring to the gambling, "the board would be more than happy to grant you some chips on the house."

Shepard glanced at the tables before turning back to him, "I don't gamble," for one she was the unluckiest card player she knew of. It's was comical when she thought about it. She could fight against overwhelming odds without losing her cool but in cards she always gave her hand away, "How about you Garrus?"

The turian tiled his head to the side, "A little bit," he admitted to her surprise, "in moderation of course," he added with a turian smile.

As they walked through the casino level of the hotel Shepard and Garrus received several stares from the immaculately and lavishly dressed patrons. Shepard had no illusions about fitting in with this crowd and they were no doubt wondering who she and Garrus were and why they were here.

They stepped into the elevator and the attendant keyed in the code to take them up to the penthouse suite. It only took a few seconds for the elevator to reach the top floor the doors slid open and Shepard found that they elevator went right to into the middle of the suite instead of in a hallway.

"Spirits," she heard Garrus whisper and she had to agree with him. She walked deeper into the suite glancing around as she did feeling her jaw drop slightly before she snapped it shut.

The room was absolutely enormous and lavishly decorated and in the center was giant Jacuzzi and…, "Oh my God…," she whispered under her breath. They had a waterfall in the middle of their room and a huge gigantic bed with crimson silk sheets.

"If there is anything else please feel free to contact me," Smith said rubbing his hands together before pulling two keycards from his pocket and handed them to her, "These will unlock the elevator so it can access your room," and with that he turned and left.

Shepard smirked as she turned to Garrus and with a tilt of her head gestured over at the bed. She saw Garrus quickly glance over had the bed and even quicker glance back at her. She grinned as she saw his eyes cloud over and a deep purr issue from his throat, "Kara," he purred drawling her name in a way that made it hard for her to think.

She felt his taloned hands snake around her waist and felt him pull her towards him. Pacing her hands on his chest she leaned forward and whispered, "Lets clear the bugs from the room first. Performing for an audience was something I'm only gonna do once."

The turian growled and they separated. They both activated their omi-tools and went to work faster than the best counter-intel on the Citadel.

XXX

Slowly Garrus regained consciousness and as he did he began aware of a weight on his chest. Cracking his eyelids he saw a golden mane on hair resting atop his chest. Kara was sleeping on top of him and bare down to the waist were she was wrapped up in the crimson silk sheets.

Wordlessly he reached up and threaded his talons through her short jaw length hair. He wasn't quite sure why he found himself fascinated with her hair. He ran his hand through her hair and down onto her bare back and as he did he felt his hand come into contact with something sticky. He pulled his hand back and found little splotched of red on his talons.

It took him a few seconds to connect the dots; red… human… human blood was red. He had hurt her… in shock he sat up which unfortunately jolted Kara awake. Kara like the highly trained and toe soldier she was awake in an instant her eyes sharp and focused as she glance around the unfamiliar room before he saw the light of recognition enter her eyes.

"Garrus what's wrong," she said as she rolled off of him and onto the bed and looked up at him with a worried look in her eyes.

"You're back," he whispered, "you're bleeding. I've hurt you," anguish filled his voice as he propped himself up.

Kara shifted herself and snuggled up next to him and rested her head on his chest, "You didn't hurt me," she said softly, "last night was great and loads of fun," she reached up and ran her hand across his face, "the cuts are superficial don't worry about them."

"Kara," he drew out her name and held his talons up in front of her face, "I could really hurt you," he whispered and that was his most horrifying thought that he would do something to harm her.

Tilting her head up she sighed, "I'm a big girl Garrus you don't need to worry about hurting me," she laughed slightly, "If you want to you can worry about other people hurting me."

Garrus flared his mandibles. Stubborn female he mused before wrapping his arms around her. Then again that was one of the reason he loved… he paused, yes he did love her. He had cared for her deeply before but, "I think I love you Kara," he voiced softly.

Kara's eyes got as big as saucers and her mouth opened and closed, "Garrus," she said slowly, "I… don't… I think… I think I could love you too."

For a long time they simply starred at one another until Garrus finally said, "We have that meeting in a few hours. We should probably get up and get dressed… maybe take a shower."

Kara leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, or where his lips would be, if he had been human. Before he could do anything else she threw off the sheets and headed off towards of the shower swaying her hips as she did.

Garrus felt his mouth go dry as he watched her go. He watched her go all the way across the deck and slip into the Jacuzzi. He watched her disappear beneath the surface before emerging and motioning him over.

XXX

Shepard starred out the window of the aircar as Garrus maneuvered the vehicle deftly through the skylanes from the hotel towards the port authority building. Closing her eyes she rested her head up against the glass. Garrus loved her… it was amazing… she hadn't felt this way since… since she couldn't remember the last time she felt this good.

"Kara we're almost here," she heard Garrus say softly.

Looking up she saw the trapezoid like port authority building growing rapidly in the viewport. Ritualistically she checked her weapons to make sure they were still good before sliding them back into their holsters, "Put her down Garrus," she ordered and the turian deftly maneuvered the vehicle to the pad.

Garrus set the rental down and the pair exited their vehicle. Straightening her jacket she headed down the several steps from the pad and headed towards the sliding doors at the far end of the walkway.

Within seconds of them setting down on the pad the glass doors slide open and two guards in Noveria Security Force uniforms rushed forward with rifles held in a low guard position. Shepard reached her right hand into her jacket and rested it on one of her weapons, "What's going on?"

The pair of security guards, two turians, slowed to a trot before coming to a complete stop, "Agent Shepard," the turian on the left with white swirling face markings said, "We were told to expect you Administrator Anoleis is waiting for you in his office."

Slowly Shepard released the handle of her his pistol and shoved both her hands into the pockets of her jacket, "Take us to your leader," she said with a slight smile but when the turians just look confused she rubbed the brig of her nose and amended, "never mind just take me to the administrator."

"Yes ma'am," the lead turian said gesturing back to the doors, "follow us please."

Shepard allowed them to lead her and Garrus through the sliding doors and into the port authority building. The inside of the building was what you would expect from a public building. There were cubicles filled with white-collar drones that went about their daily lives shifting through the mountains of information that each day came through port authority in regards to incoming and outgoing ships.

Every once in a while once of the drones would look over the top of their cubicle or rolled their chairs back to see who was interrupting their daily monotonous routine. Though apparently they didn't recognize her and Garrus and quickly went back to their routine.

The security guards lead them to an office at the far back where a secretary sat at a desk typing away at her computer station. The lead guard approached the desk and said, "Ms. Parasini we've brought Agent Shepard and Mr. Vakarian for Administrator Anoleis."

"Thank you Julius," the secretary nodded, "you're dismissed," and when the guards were gone she pressed a button on her desk, "Mr. Anoleis."

"_What, what_," a hyper sounding and irritated voice that Shepard almost immediately pegged as belonging to a salarian said, "_what is it_?"

Shepard noticed the secretary roll her eyes with a longsuffering look, "Agent Shepard and Mr. Vakarian are here. They have an appointment sir."

"_Yes, yes send them in_," the salarian said dismissively.

"Go can go in now," the secretary said.

"Thanks," the Spectre said with that she and Garrus headed through the revolving doors and into the port administrator's office. The office was nicer that what Shepard would have expected from a mid-level bureaucrat. She felt her lip twitch as the thought that he was mostly likely corrupt filtered through her head. The again she mused, this was Noveria and it was likely the order of the day. She threw a quick glance at Garrus who looked like he had come to the same conclusion from the look on his face.

"Forgive me for not standing up," the salarian stated putting down a datapad and picking up another and studying it, "I have no time for space jockeys who spend most of their existence traveling on a starship."

Briefly the thought of reaching across the table and wringing the salarian's skinny neck passed through her mind. Reeling her emotions in she cocked her eyebrow, "I thought the corporate board told you to assist me," she said crossing her arms over chest. Despite what Smith said she doubted that these people, who spent most of their paranoid lives glancing over their shoulder… she meant the corporate types not salarians, would help her.

"The board instructed me to assist you," the administrator said bluntly without looking up from his pad, "they didn't say what level of assistance to give."

"Semantics are a bitch," Shepard said deadpan.

"Tell me about," Garrus huffed under his breath.

The salarian stopped and looked up at her with an annoyed look in his eyes, "Please refrain from such crude language human," the salarian quickly rapped his fingers on his desk before going back to his work, "business come here to avoid the second guessing of galactic law."

"I don't care what you're doing here," Shepard said leaning forward on the administrator's desk supported by her arms, "All I want is Benezia and if you don't gi-," she started to threaten but was cut off when the salarian suddenly looked up.

"The asari matriarch," he questioned, "she arrived a few days ago with a personal escort and some cargo. She's currently up at research station 15 or Peak 15."

She didn't like the sound of any of that, "Define personal escort," she ordered narrowing her eyes.

The salarian folded his hands on top of his desk, "the phrase is self-explanatory. Bodyguards attending to the safety of her person," he paused before delivering the bombshell, "about a dozen or so asari commandos," he finished in a matter-of-fact manner.

"And that didn't strike you as odd," Garrus said astounded and Shepard had to agree with his sentiment, "that she'd bring a team of asari commandos."

He shifted his gaze from her to Garrus, "They followed all of our regulations and statutes. I had no reason from forbidding them to enter."

"What were in the crates," she asked.

"I don't know but they passed all the weapon restrictions and other contraband scans," Anoleis replied.

"Wait," the Spectre growled, "I need to get to Peak 15."

"Impossible a massive storm front has blown in rendering all ground travel from the city to the research laboratories inadvisable at very best," the salarian stated, "For that reason the board has grounded off traffic out of the city by land."

"For how long," Shepard growled again gritting her teeth.

"Four or five days," he said bluntly and this time Shepard wasn't sure she'd be able keep herself from strangling him this time. Suddenly she felt Garuss's hand on her shoulder restraining her and calming her down. Anoleis huffed before picking up another datapad, "Now please go. Time is money and you've already cost me one hundred and twenty-eight point four five credits

"Yeah thanks," Shepard said as she pushed herself off from the table and spun to leave, "If I've found out you've been lying to me…," she trailed off letting her threat so unsaid

XXX

With a stutter the vanguard of the Fifth Fleet, the two wolf pack flotillas, swept out from FTL banging away with their active sensor arrays searching for anything that might pose a threat or try to ambush the fleet. If they had detected anything they would have shot off a tight beam transmission to the main body of the fleet which always traveled at least two and half minutes behind, as a full active scan took at least two minutes, so the fleet could disengage its FTL and drop out before running smack dab into an ambush.

When the frigates completed their maneuvers and the lieutenant commander in charge gave the fleet and all clear the wolf packs convalesced back into their two original flotillas just as the main fleet arrived. From the bridge of the _Orizaba _Admiral Steven Hackett watched as the Fleet deployed itself in a defensive formation.

The Fifth had been deployed to the Armstrong Cluster to investigate and if necessary destroy the geth presence. Alliance Intelligence in cooperation with the Salarian Intelligence Service and the Citadel Intelligence Agency had suspected that the geth were using the Armstrong Cluster as a staging ground for a major thrust into the Skyllian Verge to attack Alliance colonies to preparation for a larger invasion of the Alliance and Citadel Space.

The salarians, asari and turians were also mobilizing their assets to defend to their space and the Citadel Defense Fleet had been put on high alert and had set up massive patrols at the Mass Relay exit zones leading to the Citadel. However while the salarians were conducting hit and run attacks the Alliance was the in position to make a potentially devastating first strike.

"Sir combat air patrols has been deployed," Captain Strasbourg repeated relaying the information the group captain in charge of the fleet's combined air wings, had reported to him, "All raptors are in the tubes and waiting for permission to launch."

Fleet Admiral Hackett towered over the holographic tactical display focusing on the little figures that represented the ships of his fleet. The fleet emerged from FTL and was arrayed in the standard Alliance formation which as designed for maximum firing power. The _Orizaba_ stood at the heart of the fleet with the three carriers ringed around the dreadnaught in a triangular formation. The cruisers were in turn spread out in a spherical formation surrounding the dreadnought and carriers, though each maintained a staggered position so that all the cruisers and the dreadnaught could fire with risk of hitting one of its own.

This formation would also allow the vitally important carriers to be protected and had the bonus that the fleet could throw up interlocking fields of fire against enemy fighters and missiles. As the main fleet engaged its opposite number the wolf packs would take positions a great deal away from the fleet on the horizontal axis. The frigates would attempt to eliminate the enemy frigates before moving in to conduct "knife fight" hit and run attacks on the enemy fleet.

Commanding one of those "suicide sleds" as the officers and men of the heavier class ships derisively called them was in a way like commanding one of the Forlorn Hope of earlier times on earth. Like the Forlorn the frigates often suffered grievous casualties in any full scale engagement but their officers and enlisted personal were greatly rewarded assuming they survived. After all they were built for speed and lethality on a little frame. Unfortunately that speed and lethality cost them dearly in survivability.

"Permission denied," Hackett said quietly but sternly, "keep the CAP on a two hour rotation and deploy recon drones and two flights of blackbirds."

"Aye Admiral, Ms. Grace," the captain said addressing the Group Captain," CAP on a six hour rotation and deploy recon drones and two flights of blackbirds," he repeated per Naval parlance.

"Aye," the woman said and she began to relay the information to the carrier commanders who could in turn deliver it to their CAGs who would deliver it to the pilots.

Fifteen seconds later the first probers were launched from the _Orizaba_ and within a minute the first of the sleek blackbird spyplanes launched from the SSV _Enterprise_. Hackett nodded with satisfaction and the response time of the _Enterprise_'s pilots and deck crew; they were certainly living up to the legacy of their ship's forebears.

He looked up from the holographic layout, "Call the crew to action stations and set condition two throughout the fleet."

"Aye Admiral."

XXX

Following the information Administrator Anoleis's secretary, or undercover internal affairs agent, had slipped her Shepard and Garrus had made their way across the city to a hotel bar where they were supposed to find a disgruntled turian named Lorak Quin that might be able to help them.

Shepard wasn't quite sold on this Parasini woman but the fact that Parasini could sip a memory stick into her back pocket without her knowing it was definitely points in her favor. It pissed Shepard off that she could pull it off. Shepard considered it a point of pride to be on top of thing.

She felt Garrus nudge her and she glanced up at him, "I think that's him over there," he said with a nod in the generally direction, "the facial markings match."

Shepard studied the turian for a moment before agreeing. The Turian was sitting at the bar with several empty shot glances on the counter and a full on in his claws. She made her way over to the bar and sat down next to him while Garrus sat on the other side of him.

The turian glanced at one then the other before sighing, "If this is some kind of shake down…"

"Nothing of the sort," Shepard said giving him her most reassuring smile. Catching the bartender's eyes she held up two fingers in a V signaling for drinks. She mouthed the word 'scotch' at him and then pointed at whatever the turian was having, "I'm Agent Shepard Special Tactics and Recon and this," she continued gesturing to herself then to Garrus, "and this is Mr. Vakarian my… my partner," she finally decided on the word she liked.

She saw Garru's eyes go wide for a second before he gave her what she was coming to understand as a turian smile… he got the double meaning to her statement.

"Lorik Qui'in, what can I do for you Spectre," the turian said as Shepard's and Garrus's drinks arrived.

Picking up the glass she took a sip wincing as it burnt it way down her throat, "Damn good stuff," she hissed before setting the glass back on the table, "I need to get to Peak Fifteen… a friend," she hesitated drawing the word out, "said you can get me there."

Qui'in downed his shot before looking at her with glazed eyes, "You'd need and executive pass to override the lockdown temporarily," he set the glass back down on the table and motioned for another, "which I used to have because I managed the Synthetic Insights branch here before Anoleis closed my office on charges of corruption."

"Are you," Garrus stated and Shepard took another sip of scotch as she rolled her eyes. She had no doubt most of these people were corrupt in one way or another, "corrupt I mean," he clarified unnecessarily.

The turian at least had the balls not to lie, "In a manner of speaking yes, but then again so is everyone else. The key is," he explained, "Anoleis is stealing millions from the port authority and is selling company secrets," his mandibles spread apart and he huffed in laughter, "I finally had enough to bring him down and he got wind of it. Now he's bought off about a dozen Security Guards and is having them ransack the building looking for it. Get me the data and I'll get you authorization to leave the city… as well as a great sum of money."

Finishing off her scotch she sat the empty glass on the table and ran her credit chit through the scanner, "We have deal, but kept the money," she standing up striating her jacket as she did, "but there are a few things I'm goona need to pull this off and I rather not go back through the Normandy and back through customs to get them."

"What do you need," the turian asked titling his head.

Shepard thought for a moment before saying, "Two silence submachine guns, preferably Tempests or MP-80's," she paused for a second, "I'll also need a grapple gun with enough strength to support," she did the math in her head, "At least a hundred and forty kilograms and at least twenty pounds of semtex."

She saw Garrus give her a curious look and she could see his mind running as he tried to figure it out. What she wanted the silenced weapons for was quite obvious, but the grapple gun and high explosives weren't quite as clear.

Qui'in rested his chin on the backs of his hands, "I should be able to get those things for you. It will take a few hours at the least to acquire the things you need."

"Will there be any problems," Garrus asked.

"The semtex will be hard to come by, but doable," he said glancing over at Garrus, "anything else," he asked.

"Anything else I need I can get myself," she said with a smile on her face as she turned and headed out the door, "see you soon Mr. Qui'in."

With Garrus in tow she headed out the entrance to the bar and back onto the street. Jogging across the street Shepard jumped sliding across the hood of the aircar and swiftly entered the vehicle. Garrus entered more conventionally and slid into the driver's seat.

"Care to fill me in on the plan Kara," he asked as he turned on the air and brought up into the autopilot.

Glancing over she smiled, "I think you gonna like this one."

XXX

Lieutenant Adam "Ares" Lee carefully maneuvered his Raptor interceptor along his designated CAP, Combat Air Patrol, route with his wingman Lieutenant Oliver "Klick" Johnson at his side. He'd been out on CAP for about and hour providing security for the fleet.

"_You think Intel screwed the pooch again Ares_," Klick questioned over their private comm channel.

Lee glanced down at his LADAR, Light Detection and Ranging, screen before replying, "Possibly," he admitted though that wasn't what his cut was telling him, "I'm not sure."

"_Sitten out here waiting on the toasters to make the first move doesn't sit well with me_," Klick grumbled.

"It's better than charging to the unknown," Lee argued, "we have no idea-," he started but was cut off as LADAR system started beeping franticly and red dots started to appear on the screen, "Shit," he cursed before he opened a comm to the _Orizaba_, "Orizaba this Ares in Bravo CAP we've got thirty… no forty… scratch eighty plus hostiles."

"_Roger that Ares_," the Group Captain stated over the comm, "_You are cleared to engage. Be warned alert fighters are two minutes out._"

"Roger that captain," Lee replied, "Ares and Klick moving to engage," before switching to the private channel, "Klick you hear that?"

"_Roger that Ares_," Johnson said dryly.

Lee pushed down the throttle opening the engine all the way up. The raptor jolted slightly as the fighter increased to its maximum speed. Using his thumb he flicked off the safety on the raptor's twin cannons as he said, "Safeties off, weapons free."

With Johnson on his wing the pair of raptors accelerated towards the massive squadrons of geth fighters. As they closed the distance the flying wing like shape of the geth fighters became more apparent. Taking his left hand off the stick he armed the raptor's load out of twelve air-to-air 'sparrow' missiles and disengaged the safeties.

"_Safeties off, weapons free_," his wingman repeated.

The distance between them continued to close and the range indicator was dropping rapidly and the moment he came within four kilometers he hit the release on his flight stick and two by two each of the Advance Short- Range Air-to-Air high-explosive fragmentation missile shot out from their pods and soared towards the enemy.

At the same time he fired his wingman did the same sending twenty-four AMRAM missiles blasting off from the fighter and were sent streaming towards the geth at extremely high speed. Most of the geth veered out of the way of the missiles while a few tried to shoot down the missiles with their guns.

Lee saw several explosives of missiles that the geth had hit, but they missed far more and they detonate inside the geth formation taking scores of fighters with them, "Orizaba, Ares we're engaging hostiles. Still no cap ships in sight or on LADAR."

"_Roger that Ares_," the Group Captain responded, _"backup's on the way… give'm hell boys_."

"Roger that," he said to the captain then switched over to his private comm, "Whadya hear Klick?"

"_Nothing but the rain_," Johnson roared the navy aviator cadence.

In a situation like these there was no way that two fighters were going to take on an entire fighter wing of enemy starfighters. The best they could hope for is to slow down and distract them until the rest of their fighter support could get there. That is just they did; the two fighters dove into the mass of geth fighters guns blazing.

Feeling sweat pouring down his back and face he thumbed the trigger sending shorts bursts of fire streaming from the raptor's nose cannons. He clipped one geth ship in the right side sending it spiraling off in space, "Scratch one," he called diving through the formation sometime missing the geth by less than a few meters.

He juked and jinked through the formation until he burst through the back end of the formation and the moment he cleared them he pulled a Crazy Ivan and slammed his throttle forward flipping the raptor over and firing at the geth from behind.

About a flight of geth for him and Johnson each broke off from their main thrust towards the fleet and accelerated towards them. As the raptor continued backwards Lee continues firing, using the maneuvering thrusters to shift his aim knocking at least two geth out of the sky.

Slamming the throttle forward to kill his negative momentum the raptor shuttered under the negative G-Forces as it started to accelerate again. Suddenly his raptor shuttered again though this time not from G-Forces but as several rounds tore through the right fuselage and wing of his fighter.

"Shit, shit, shit," he cursed as the raptor started spinning and he struggled to regain control of his craft. Lee glanced outside of his cockpit and saw several deep gashes torn into the wing as fuel was leaking from the fuel bladder. He fired the maneuvering thrusters in an attempt to even out the bird's flight path, but the fighter was too damaged.

"Fuck it," he cursed again, "This is Ares, punching out," and reached down to the right side of his chair and wrapped his hand around the yellow and black handle. Instinctually he took in a deep breath as he yanked hard on the handle. Moments later the explosive bolts around the cockpit exploded and the canopy flew back. Seconds after the canopy blew away the ejection seat fired sending Lee and his seat flying away from his crippled bird and into space.

XXX

Garrus parked the full sized van down on the street across from the Chevron Galactic Fuel Company building which itself was next to the Synthetic Insights building. Exiting the van bringing with him a large nondescript duffel bag that fit perfect with his nondescript grey workers uniform he headed towards the Chevron building.

Within a moment Shepard was walking right next to him in a similar outfit and with a similar bag. The only major difference was that Shepard had a grey baseball cap on her head and the bill was pulled down so it covered most of her face.

He dropped back and let Shepard take point as they approached the door to the skyscraper. Most modern buildings would have a sophisticated security system to check all employees and guests to match them against existing records. That would have been a major problem at any major corporate headquarters building but fortunately the entire building was undergoing renovations.

Garrus wasn't one hundred percent sure this would work, but he agreed that it was their best chance of succeeding with minimum casualties and risk to themselves. They came up into the door and entered the building. He saw Shepard flash a fake identification badge and the guard who was probably extremely board, underpaid and had seen similar workers come in all day long just waved her in. He was next and he did the same thing and held up the fake ID around his neck.

The guard glanced up briefly at him before glancing back down at his reading material. As he passed Garrus took a closer look and saw it was Fornax the xenophilia pornographic magazine. As he did he shook his head and chuckled.

"What's so funny," Shepard asked throwing a glance back at him on their way to the elevator.

"You like porn Shepard," he responded and chuckled again as he saw Shepard halt and spin around with a stunned look on her face.

"Uhmm," she stuttered bushing as the elevator doors opened and she stepped in and Garrus followed her in, "I've watched a few before," she admitted before glancing up and around. It took Garrus a moment to realize she was looking for cameras, "Why," she asked as a saucy grin played across her face, "feeling kinky Garrus?"

Clearing his throat he replied huskily, "What have you got in mind Shepard," pressing himself up against her and relishing the feeling of her heat up against him and took a small nip at her neck.

"Something naughty," she whispered into his ear before pulling back as the elevator door opened.

As the door opened on the 98th Floor which was the last office floor of the building before it went to the exec penthouses. They both went over to the glass wall/window at the side of the office facing the Synthetic Insights building.

Laying his duffel bag on the floor he shrugged out of the jumpsuit revealing a black "cat burglar" suit. Kneeling down he unzipped the bag and removed a large medal box and set it down next to him. Unlatching the box he removed a stock, the main body, scope and a barrel. One by one he latched the rifle together, pulled apart the bipod and rested the rifle at the edge of the window.

Reaching back into the bag he pulled a Heckler and Koch MP- 80 sub-machine gun from the bag and laid it on the floor. Next he removed the silencer and screwed it into the barrel. Finally he removed a balaclava, knee and elbow pads and a tactical vest and carefully put them on.

He threw a quick glance over at Shepard. The ex-N7 Commando was in the same black suit, tac vest and balaclava and was in the processing of putting together the grapple gun. This plan was one of the things that made humans so danger Garrus mused.

If Turian Special Branch had received orders to secure the data in the Synthetic Insights building they would have succeed whatever the cost, but he doubted they would have been as creative in their efforts to accomplish the mission. What Shepard had come up with was the type of borderline insane plan that her species were known for.

She glanced over at him and asked, "Ready?"

Garrus nodded and they both picked up their sub-machine guns and bashed the windows out. They both then cleared the glass from around the frame. When that was finished Garrus laid down behind the rifle and shouldered the rifle, "Eighty-eight floor," he confirmed glancing back at Shepard.

"Roger that," she confirmed, "any hostiles," she asked as she readied the gas powered grapple gun.

Garrus shouldered the rifle and glanced through the scope. There was a turian and a male human with assault rifles standing in the window looking like they were talking, "Ready to go Shepard?"

"Ready," she responded pulling her balaclava down over her face. She moved to the edge of the window and glanced down her own scope, "3…2…1," she counted down and when she hit one she fired the grapple gun.

The warhead sailed through the air and sliced through the window without shattering it and dug about a foot deep into the wall behind the window. Garrus watched through the scope as the two startled security guards worriedly investigated the warhead and cable. As the two were turned Garrus fired two rounds both of which struck the guards in the back of the head.

He quickly looked up from the rifle and saw Shepard had anchored the line and was hooking her D-link up to the cable. Holding her SMG in her right hand she ran towards the window and jumped. Putting her in the rifle sights he watched her slid along the cable and smash through the window feet first.

Setting the rifle down he attached his SMG to his vest and latched himself onto the cable. Bringing himself up to the edge of the building he sighed. It'd been a long time since he had lost done this. Steeling himself he jumped feeling the wind rip away hat him as he slid along the line until he felt his boots collided with the floor.

Quickly he unlatched himself and his sub-machine gun. Separating himself from the cable he shouldered his SMG and moved carefully through the office space clearing each cubical as he went. He and Shepard had calculated that they would have less than three minutes before more guards reached this level. An explosion rocked the building from behind him which was Shepard taking out the west stairwell.

Garrus stopped at the elevator reached out and wedged the claws of his left and in-between the sliding doors. Leveraging them open he knelt and removed a block of semtex form his vest and inserted a detonator. Leaning out he glanced up to make sure the elevator wasn't above him before activating the proximity switch of the detonator and dropping it down the elevator well.

The plan was fairly simple. They'd rope in take out the stairwells and elevator separating the hostiles below from the few above. They'd then ascend to the manager penthouse office suite and secure the data, eliminating any hostiles they came across than evac the site.

Bringing his SMG back up to his shoulder he advanced towards the east end stairwell, "Shep-," he started to say as he entered the stairwell but Shepard shushed him by putting her finger over where her lips would be. He knelt down next to at the side of the stairs he waited and listened to what Shepard had heard. The position they were in made them both hard to see and gave them a clear view of anyone rounding the corner to come down the last flight of stairs.

After a few seconds he heard the sound of heavy boots clunking down the steps. Flicking the safety off the sub-machine gun he pulled the extendable stock to a comfortable distance and nestled it up against his shoulder. He waited several long seconds before they finally appeared rushing down the stairs with their rifles in a 'low guard' position and chatting insentiently.

Sloppy, he thought, very sloppy and gently squeezed the trigger. He heard Shepard's weapon cough and the man on the left staggered as puffs of blood appeared stitching a line up his chest as Shepard walked the SMG up from his groin to the base of his neck.

The second man did even have time to gasp as Garrus's weapon coughed once and the man went down clutching his throat. They both waited several more seconds to see if any more men came charging down the stairs. When they didn't Shepard fished another block of semtex from her vest and ran about halfway down the staircase to the next floor. Like with the west stairs her job was to make them impassible to any further reinforcements; though this time would be a little trickier. She had to take out the stairs going down without damaging the one going up.

Garrus stood quietly moving over to the man on the floor. The dark skinned man had his hands clutching his throat in a vain attempt to stop the torrents of blood that would gush from the wound if he let go. Even so he wasn't very successful as streams of the sticky red substance slid through his fingers and gurgled from his mouth.

He didn't like killing cops… he didn't like killing at all, but sometimes it had to be done. He told himself these men were dirty, little better than Blue Sun, Eclipse or Blood Pack Mercenaries. They sold themselves to a corrupt administrator for a few credits. He was in the middle of his thoughts when the man's head jerked violently from the side a round torn into his head killing the mortally wounded man. He quickly looked over at Shepard and saw she had returned from planting the charge. She walked over to the corpses and quickly stripped them of their ear buds and comm units and held out one to him.

"Thanks Shepard," he said hookin the comm unit to his vest and pushing the bud into his earhole.

He waited a second for a response and was rewarded as he heard a hard female voice bark, "_This is Sergeant Stirling. What the hell is going where's Ricko and Mike_?"

Shepard gave him a look of recognition. He nodded he recognized the name. Sergeant Stirling had been one of the guards with Captain Matsuo when they entered Noveria. That definitely wasn't a good sign he realized. If the sergeant was in this he didn't want to know how far this went up the chain.

Then he and the commander started ascending the stairs in a leap frog pattern one covering the other as they made way up. It was the best way to ensure that what happened to the two hapless Noveria Security Guards didn't happen to them.

"_Sergeant this is Corporal Jecks where just getting in the elevator on our way to-_," the man, a turian by the sound of his voice, started to say but was cut off by an explosion, the proximity mine on the elevator no doubt.

"_Jecks_," he heard Stirling shout angrily, "_Jecks goddammit report… corporal, corporal_"

"Nice job Garrus," she whispered throwing him a thumb up, "Let's move!"

It was six more flights of stairs that had to traverse to reach the penthouse level. They reached the blown-out penthouse sliding door and took up positions on either side. He saw as Shepard ran her gloved hand over the jagged medal before returning her hand back to her sub-machine gun. She held up three fingers before slowly counting down.

When she hit zero Garrus spun SMG raised into the room. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he took the right side of the room, scanning it slowly with his weapon, as they breached. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of movement and he spun. He saw Sergeant Stirling with a shotgun raised as his finger tightened on the trigger.

He saw the muzzle flare of the shotgun as his SMG coughed several times. He saw three puffs of red erupt from the woman's chest. Suddenly he felt his right arm flare and he felt force of the blast spinning to the right and crashing into the floor.

"Garrus," he heard the beloved voice call franticly.

As the floor rushed up to greet him the last thought that ran through his head was how the hell was Shepard going to rappel down the side of the building carrying him.

XXX

After another quick glance at his O2 tank to make sure it was at the relatively same level before he glance back at the battle scene before him.

"_This is rescue three_ _ETA five minutes on recovery Ares_," a voice over the comm said, "_just hold on tight LT_."

Hackett had delivered quite the one-two punch to the geth whose apparent strategy had been to draw the fleet's fighters away by offering up a wing of their own as sacrificial lambs, bur Hackett had kept a large contingent of fighters and when the geth finally did make their main push he was ready and bloodied their nose something awful.

He watched a cigar sized ship, or at least it was at this distance, which had to be the Orizaba fire its main MAC gun and moments latter a geth cruiser analog burst into flames before the flames were quenched by the vacuum of space. He gave a small shout of approval as he saw another geth ship go up in flames and shouted again as the geth fleet turned tail and zipped away in a burst of light.

Lee saw the large metal object, a boxcar search and rescue shuttle, and the brief flare of maneuvering thrusters and he blinked at the icon in his HUD that would open a comm channel to the rescue bird, "_Rescue three this is Ares I have a visual_."

"_Roger that Ares we have a visual on you_," he heard the boxcar pilot call out, "_hold on buddy we've got ya_," with that the maneuvering thrusters on the front left wing fired spinning the craft around before another thruster fired to counteract the spin. When the rear of the ship was facing him the ramp slowly began to lower revealing two men in EVA suits tethered to the cargo compartment.

"Alight just take it easy guys," Lee said taking a slight gulp. In training whenever he did EVA recovery he puked his guts out the moment the gravity turned back on.

"_No worries LT_," man with then a Petty Officer Second Class's stripes on his shoulder said as he held him as he held his arms. Lee felt a tug on the side of his chair as the Petty Officer and Navy Corpsman pulled his chair into the cargo bay of the combat shuttle and gently pushed the ejection seat to the deck.

The ramp slowly ground close and the moment it did Lee could hear the hiss as it sealed and as O2 was slowly pumped back into the shuttle. Lee felt the corpsman unlatch his helmet and pull it from his head, "Sir," the Navy Medic said, "welcome aboard how you feeling?"

As the temperature in the shuttle rose Lee became aware of just how cold he was and began to shiver, "Like I've been spaced," he joked as he took the blanket that the Petty Officer handed him. He shook his head, "damn Klick's gonna never let me hear the end of this."

They Petty Officer and Corpsman exchanged glanced and Lee felt his stomach drop, "What?"

The corpsman sighed, "Your wingman didn't make it through the battle."

XXX

"He's going to be alright," Shepard said harshly with her arms crossed as she glared at Dr. Chakwas from her position next to the bed.

"He'll be fine commander," the grey haired navy doc said scrolling through the pages of her datapad, "I gave him the turian equivalent of morphine before I conducted surgery to remove the shrapnel and he's resting peacefully."

Sighing she glanced at the sleeping turian torn between wanting to kiss his forehead and whishing she had disemboweled and dissected that Sergeant Stirling when she had the chance. "When's he going to be back on his feet?"

The doctor studied her datapad and titled her head thinking for a moment before finally saying, "About a week until he's fully operational."

Shepard rubbed the bridge of her nose. That meant he would be out of the Noveria mission. She still had a mission to complete and now she was down a squadmate. Everything was set; all she had to do was meet Qui'in's men and they would get them and the Mako out of the city. Sighing again she clapped the doctor on the shoulder, "Take good care of him doc I need him back to one-hundred percent ASAP."

Chakwas nodded as Shepard turned and evacuated the room heading down towards the cargo/vehicle bay and the moment the lift doors slid open Shepard walked out the door. Les then ten feet later she came skidding to a halt, "Sergeant what the hell did you do it," she shouted.

The army sergeant threw her an offended puppy dog face as he patted the Mako on its armored side, "First of all skipper it's a she not an it."

Rolling her eyes and reminding herself she was far too young for stress lines the commander replied, "What did you do to her," she said sarcastically stressing the feminine pronoun. The Mako looked a lot different from the last time she'd seen the thing. For one it was a looked bulkier and the tires had been switched out for one that were at last a half and again as big as the last set.

"Got her dressed up in her sniffle gear," the southern sergeant drawled, "she's wasn't designed to fight negative two hundred degree weather commander. If we took her out now she'd freeze up before we got halfway to where we wanted to go."

"So it's…," she paused and corrected herself, "she's all good to go?"

The sergeant pulled off his standard Alliance Army cover and wiped the sweat away from his forhead before replacing the hat on his head, "As good as she's gonna ever git commander…," he paused and shrugged, "I'd be a little more hesitant about getting her into a firefight," he jerked a thumb towards the extra bulk of the Mako, "that stuff ain't all armor platen; most of its insulation and heatin systems. Anything bigger than small arms fire and we might end up soldier sickles…," the sergeant paused frowning, "sailor sickles? Whatever… we end up dead is what I'm trying to say."

The Army… Shepard mentally hissed and reminded herself she was far too young for ulcers, "Thanks I think I got that sergeant just get her packed up and ready to go."

As she turned to go gather Williams, Alenko and Liara for the mission she would have sworn that she heard the sergeant mutter 'navy pukes.' She entertained the thought of heading back but decided against it. The last thing she needed was for the Sergeant to go back to his division and bitch to his divisional commander. After all the army had been nice enough to lend them their newest toy for this operation.

Slapping one of the intercom buttons she hollered, "Williams, Alenko, Liara suit up and report to the airlock," before taking off for her arms locker to suit up for the upcoming assignment. It took her about ten minutes to strap into her combat armor. She ran a quick check on her M-8 and her side-arm before sliding the later into her holster and the former she latched onto her vest.

Within twenty she was at the airlock and Williams, Alenk and Liara were there to greet her, "Commander," Alenko said with a respectful nod, "geared up and ready to go."

Shepard threw a glance at the fidgeting doctor in the slightly oversized combat armor with a pistol strapped to her hip, "Are you alright doctor," she said dryly.

The young asari doctor held her helmet in her hands and took a gulp, "Uhm… hello commander… uhmm I'm not sure… what you want me to do… I'm not a soldier," she said shyly.

"No," the Spectre agreed, "but you're Benezia's daughter and if we get in a firefight she might be more hesitant to shoot at us if you're with us."

The doctor's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, "Ohh well," she shifted uncomfortably, "ok I guess."

"Let's move out," she said turning her back on her team and towards the airlock, "By the time we get to the garage bay they should have the Mako ready to go."

XXX

Admiral Steven Hackett sat at his desk rapping his fingers on the desk. The battle for the Armstrong Cluster was over… at least for the moment. The geth fleet had withdrawn after suffering several casualties apparently unwilling to risk a major engagement. While the Fifth Fleet had come out on top in this first engagement the admiral knew for certain that it wouldn't always be this easy.

After wiping several geth outposts and space stations from the cluster the fleet had fallen back through the relay to the pre-designated rally point. There was a chime and he looked up, "Enter," the admiral said and the doors slid open and Captain Strasbourg walked in and took a seat.

While it was a gross violation of military protocol he and the admiral were very good friends and in private in could be allowed to slid. The captain placed a datapad on the mahogany desk and slid it across the table where Hackett scooped it up, "The damage reports, Admiral."

"Help yourself Otto," Hackett said gesturing with his eyes to the bottle of cognac. After the captain had reached out and poured himself a drink the admiral asked, "Losses," as he skimmed the pad for himself.

"Sixteen fighters were lost and another twenty-nine were damaged," he started, "though we managed to recover five pilots. Comparatively they were extremely light as we estimated the geth losses were up and around the two hundred mark."

"What about the Bravo CAP pilots," Hackett interrupted, "that was some mighty fine flying."

The captain paused for a second recalling that information before responding, "Lieutenant Junior Grade Johnson was killed in the line of duty, but the flight leader Lieutenant Adam Lee managed to eject and was recovered by a SAR bird."

The Admiral sighed, "Very well," he paused, "I want both their names put forward for a Distinguished Flying Cross… Also I believe the squadron leader for the twenty-fourth interceptor perished durning the battle… correct?"

"Aye?"

"Put Lieutenant Lee in for a field promotion to Lieutenant Commander and put him command of the twenty-forth," Hackett added, "the man's shown great promise as an officer.;"

Captain Strasbourg nodded, "Aye Admiral, would you like me to continue," he asked and when the admiral nodded he continued, "Several cruisers also took damage with the Cairo being the worst. Her MAC was damaged and she'll have to put into port to get it back up to spec," he paused, "three frigates were also damaged to the point where they'll need to go to dry-dock. A dozen more suffered non critical damage."

"What were our total losses in manpower?"

"Forty-two," the captain answered almost immediately, "nineteen dead and twenty-three wounded," he paused again to take another sip of cognac, "What are you orders now admiral?"

Hackett reached out and took the bottle and filled a glass of his own, "We're going to put in at the Naval Base at Tera Nova to repair and let them men get some R&R before we head back out."

XXX

The garage for the special designed craft that were capable of withstanding the frigid temperatures of the wilds of Noveria was somewhat like an airlock or like the locks on a water way cannel. The vehicle bay itself was one area with lead blast an enormous blast door that the _Normandy_ could easily fit through. That door led to a large cavernous chamber with another blast door in front of it. This was so the massive airlock could be sealed and the temperature could be slowly lowered to prevent flash freezing which could damage even the most cold weather prepared vehicle.

"Agent Shepard," a slick voice sounded from off to the side, "a pleasure to meet you again."

Holding her helmet against her hip she glanced over in the direction of the voice and found Mr. Smith waiting for her, "Smith," she said and cocked her eyebrow, "Aren't you a little cold," she mentioned referring to the fact that he was wearing the same suit she had first met him.

"Mind over matter Agent Shepard," the coy man smiled, "that was quite a display of out of the box thinking at the Synthetic Insights building," his lip twitched, "I'm sure your N7 instructor would be quite please."

Shepard carefully schooled her features into one of ignorance, "I'm sorry Mr. Smith you must have me confused with someone else."

The suit chuckled, "Please don't insult my intelligence Agent Shepard. You're one of only seven people on this planet capable of such an action and the only person who had anything to gain from it."

While Shepard remained impassive she could tell that even if he didn't already have conformation that Williams and Alenko's nervous moment would have telegraphed it. Resting her hand on the extendible stock of her rifle in a somewhat threating gesture, "And?"

"Please Agent Shepard," the suit held his hands up in a none-threating gesture, "you did the Board a great favor in bringing Administrator Anoleis's… indiscretions to light and as a result we've been willing to look the other way to you 'deal' with Mr. Qui'in."

"I'm glad," she said bluntly carefully eying the suit. She was still convinced he was more than he was letting on.

"_Commander Shepard_," Sergeant Ryan's voice rang out from her ear bud, "_we're about five minutes out… sorry the cargo mover got caught in traffic_."

"Hurry up sergeant… its cold in here," she added as her breath rose up in front of her. On a whim she glanced out at the lifeless garage. After the storm had rolled in the Board had shut it down until the lockdown was lifted. She was about to ask Mr. While what he was doing here when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of movement, "Mr. White I though this area was in lockdown."

The suit frowned, "It's supposed to be."

She quickly put her helmet on and felt as the seals hiss as they closed and the metallic tasting recycled air assaulted her mouth. She then undid the latch on her vest and shouldered her rifle, "Something's up," she whispered as she flicked off the safety with her thumb, "Lock and load marines," she ordered and almost immediately she heard the clack of safeties being disengaged.

Slowly and carefully Shepard scanned the area looking for any sign of… well anything, "I'm gonna call security," she heard Smith say from behind her.

Shepard nodded in agreement, "Alright lets…," she started by was cut off as she saw a red plated geth trooper step out from behind several with a RPG launcher on its shoulder, "Contact front," she shouted raising her rifle and when she saw a flare from behind the trooper "RPG take cover!"

Squeezing the tripper her weapon roared to life and she dashed for cover and jumped down into one of the trenches were the pit crew would work to access the undercarriage of a vehicle. A few moments later White leaped into a trench next to her with a Shuriken Machine Pistol, "Were those geth,"the man shouted for the first time losing his composure.

"Yeah," she shouted back as she fired several rounds down range but wasn't sure if she hit anything, "I'd bet Benezia brought them with her in those crates," she fired several more rounds off, "Alenko flank left, Williams go right," she paused before barking, "covering fire," and with that she and White fired their weapons on full auto as her squadmates advanced.

Ducking back beneath her cover she threw a look at White, "I knew you weren't just a rep," she said pleased with herself before popping up and blowing the head off a geth trooper, "Where'd you train?"

White fired off his weapon several more times and Shepard could see a geth go down from. Dropping so his back thumped up against the concrete wall of the trench he finally said breathing heavily, "I was a captain in the Twenty-Second Special Air Service Regiment."

Shepard felt a grin tug at the corner of her lips… Army Special Ops so she was right about the man he was far more than he had appeared to be. She took a quick peek over the top and saw what looked like an old M-20 Tiger IFV that looked like it'd been heavily modified to withstand the cold. It was the perfect cover.

With a blink she turned on the suits vox amplification system in the suit, "Cover me while I move ," she shouted.

A few moments later she heard Alenko and Williams call back, "Got you cover," and that was followed by a roar of automatic weapons fire.

Shepard vaulted from the trench she was still and made a b-line to the old IFV. She saw a pair of geth raise their rifles to gun her down but the one on the left chest exploded as one of the others gunned it down. The remaining get opened up with his pulse weapon getting off a handful of shots before another shot blew its head apart.

Nonetheless one of the pulse round struck her in the right leg and fell forward slamming into the ground. Not wasting any time she quickly crawled on her belly the rest of the way towards the IFV making it before anything else had the chance to shoot at her. She swiftly drew her side arm, she'd dropped her rifle when she got shot, and checker her leg.

The kinetic barriers had absorbed most of the energy of the round and the armor had done the rest and deflected the round leaving only a small indentation in her armor. For the moment she put the throbbing pain in her leg at the back of her mind she crawled towards the rear end of the IFV. She spun around the edge with her weapon raised and rapidly pulled the trigger every time she saw a flash of silver.

The whine of her pistol overloading filled her hearing and she slipped back into cover. In one swift motion she popped the heat sink and with her left hand pulled a sink from her belt and slammed it into the weapon.

She spun again and jerked her weapon up, down, left and right searching for targets. When she didn't find any hostiles she started slowly moving out, "Clear," she shouted.

Three more 'All clears' rang out from Alenko, Williams and Mr. White as they moved from their cover and warily out into the open. Shepard heard White say from behind her, "Here's your rifle."

Shepard holstered her side-arm and took her rifle back with a quick, "Thanks… this definitely isn't good," she said glancing at the packing crates the geth had come in and tried to figure out how many they could have packed in there. It was a sobering thought because of the geth could likely fold up tight and they could stack them like datapads inside the crate, "you may want to let security know that you may have geth infiltrators running around the place."

The former SAS officer nodded and reached up to his ear bud comm, "Superintendent Simmons,' he barked, "I need you to mobilize every security officer you have and deploy them to secure to the critical area of the city… life support, water, etc."

As he was talking the blast doors behind them ground opened and in rolled the modified Mako IFV. The IFV rolled in and stopped about ten feet away. Seconds after it stopped the hatch popped and Sergeant Ryan emerged from the opening, "Whatcha all waitin for? Come on get in before my balls freeze off."

XXX

"Admiral on the deck," the voice belonging to the _Orizaba_'s Master Chief Petty Officer echoed across the deck followed by the sound of thousands of boot heels click together. Alliance tradition dictated that all funeral proceedings take place on the flagship. While only a portion of the _Orizaba_'s crew would be psychically present the speech would be broadcast all over the fleet

The newly minted Lieutenant Commander Adam Lee snapped to attention the presence of the gold oak leaf clusters on his collar weighing heavily on his shoulders. While he was proud of his promotion to a squadron commander he felt guilty that his promotion had come because of his predecessor's death.

He watched as the admiral took the podium which looked over nineteen coffins, each one draped with the blue-sliver flag of the Systems Alliance. The admiral briefly scanned the crowd of sailors, naval aviators and marines before he ordered, "Be at ease ladies and gentlemen."

Lee and the entire assembled audience relaxed to a position of at ease as they waited for the admiral to begin his speech. Quickly he glanced to his right and left at the pilots… his pilots in formation next to him. These were his people and he would everything in his power to make sure they didn't end up like those nineteen service members in those coffins.

"It's never easy to lose people," the admiral started, "these men and women have given their lives to protect the Alliance, the human race and their comrades in arms. It's our job to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain," he paused, "we've won a victory… the first of many, but like all victories they come with a price. That price was nineteen good men and women and now we commission their memory to the deep."

The admiral took a step back from the podium and brought up his hand in salute. As he did that the Master Chief Petty Officer barked, "TEEEEN-SHUUUUUN…" and Lee and everyone else snapped to attention, "PRESEEEENT ARMS!"

Lee raised his hand in salute as the Master Chief Petty Officer blew on the boatswain call sending out a long shrill whistle through the air. Slowly the coffins began to move along the track that would normally load the Raptor Interceptors into their launch tubes as Taps played in the background. One by one the caskets were loaded into the tubes and ejected into deep space.

When the last casket had been fired from the tube the Master Chief gave the command, "ORDER ARMS," and Lee and everyone else dropped their salutes then Master Chief added, "COMPANY DISMISSED."

Lee hesitated for a second before falling out of the formation. He threw one last glance at the launch tube from where one of closest friends had departed into the abyss. He filed past the columns of man and women headed to the exits and either back to their racks or duty stations. He came and stood next to the launch tube and thought about his former wingman.

It didn't seem quite fair that Johnson got killed, put in a steel box and ejected into space while he got gold oak leaves, a new bird and a squadron of his own. He replayed the fight over and over again in his mind wondering if there had been he could have done differently. They were a CAP against a two full geth squadrons and they wiped out about half of the geth fighters.

He reached down and ran his thumb over the metal of his Distinguished Flying Cross and briefly wondered if it was worth it for just a hunk of metal. He grit his teeth and turned to leave when he just about ran straight into the admiral, "Admiral sir, I'm sorry…"

"No problem commander," the aged admiral said clapping the man on the shoulder, "how are you taking your new promotion?"

Lee took a moment to formulate a response, "It's taking some getting use too Admiral," he admitted.

The flag officer nodded, "It always does commander," removing his hand, "we need you out there commander you're one hell of a pilot."

"Aye Admiral."

XXXX

"_Looks like we're here commander_," Sergeant Ryan shouted looking down from his position in the cupola.

The Mako in addition to its two man crew could hold a full squad of nine fully geared up soldiers or marines. Shepard was in what normally would be the squad leader's position in the far back right hand side. Reaching up to the ceiling she flipped down the flat screen monitor connected to the gun cam.

The image that appeared on the screen was something that looked like a scaled down version of the entryway to the space port itself. There was a large concrete arch that emerged from the side of this mountain with an enormous blast door, "_Send our handshake_," she barked back over comm.

"_Roger that ma'am_," Sergeant replied as he tapped a few keys on his console, "_initiating handshake protocol._"

Shepard watched the grainy image on her monitor. She didn't have long to wait before the enormous blast doors began to slide open, "_Alight sergeant take us in and keep your eyes peeled_."

"_Roger_," he stated and with a slight jolt the Mako began to move forward Shepard watched on the display as they entered the cavernous opening. Though it would have been obvious as the gale force winds died down.

As the Mako cleared the opening the doors behind them began to close and like at the garage locks when the doors sealed the temperature began to slowly rise. Knowing from her experience back in Noveria City it would take at least a half hour, "_Any luck reaching anyone inside the facility_," she questioned the sergeant over the intercom.

"_Negative ma'am_," Sergeant Ryan answered, "_If someone's listening they ain't answering_."

"Keep trying," she got back before flipping the monitor back up and leaning back to rest against the back of the bench; as hard as it was. As she waited she found her thoughts drifting towards Garrus worrying if he was alright. While the doc had said he'd be fine she still worried. She cared about him more and anyone she could remember as a clichéd as it sounded she didn't know what she'd do without him. Garrus wasn't only her love and lover he was her best friend and she treasured him.

Suddenly she became aware the Mako moving again and she realized it must have been moving of of the lock system and into the garage. When the Mako stopped she heard Sergeant Ryan say, "_It's clear to go out now the temps up to a balmy two degrees Celsius_."

"Roger that," she said before turning to her squad, "Helmets on and stay on," she gestured with her head towards the hatch, "just because it bearable out there doesn't mean marks of this facility aren't compromised. The last thing I need is for one of you to flash freeze out there… roger that?"

"Aye commander," Alenko and Williams chorused while Liara just nodded.

Shepard grabbed her helmet from its stop nest to her on the bench and brought it down over her head; taking the time to make sure all the seals on her helmet were good. When she was satisfied she and her team members were all green she got up, unlatched her rifle from her vest and reached out and slapped the release button.

In a blink of an eye the lowered connecting with the ground with a large clack as metal hit metal. The reason for the speed was that when offloading troops in the middle of a battle neither the troopers themselves nor the IFV crew wanted to be stationary for too long.

Rifle raised Shepard moved down the ramp quickly glancing around before turning her head and with her left hand gesture her team out. When they were out she said softly, "I'll take point," catching the gunny's eyes she said next, "Williams you're rear guard," turning to Alenko she added, "you're on babysitting duty," and finally she pointed her left index finger threateningly at Liara, "that means if he says jump you jump, if he says duck you duck , if he says run…"

"I run," Liara completed the sentence, "I understand commander."

"Good make sure you do more than understand," she said before clicking the safety off her rifle, "safeties off I've got a real bad feeling about this one." In formation they moved quickly through the garage until they came to large steel door like the kind they used to separate bulkheads on naval vessels.

As they approached the hatch an electronic voice blared out, _"Warning: All Peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage._"

"That doesn't sound good," Alenko said softly from behind her.

Shepard didn't bother responding to his comment instead she said, "Williams, Alenko cover me," as she latched her rifle to her vest and grabbed the wheel on the door.

"Roger," the marines intoned as the raised their rifles while Liara moved to the side away from the door. Making sure she had a firm grip on the wheel she turned it hard to the left. When the lock was released she, staying behind the door, gave it a hard tug pulling it all the way open.

"Clear," the marines chorused and Shepard released the wheel and shouldered her rifle and moved into the large corridor.

The corridor they entered was at least fifteen meters wide and fifty long. The first thing the Spectre noticed when she entered was the corridor was that the two defensive turrets the facilities security forces had deployed were facing the wrong way; meaning they were facing in towards the facility rather than out to defend from intruders.

The second thing she noticed was the two corpses. Advancing carefully up to the bodies she found that they were lying face down and that were wearing a set of military style fatigues with the symbol of Binary Helix on their shoulder. Kneeling down next to one of the bodies she reached down and grabbed the cloth of his uniform near his right shoulder and tugged.

She rolled the body onto its back, grimacing as she did. The corpses face was blue and not because it was an asari but because he'd frozen to death, "Damn," she cursed and stood, "let's keep moving."

"What do you think they were trying to keep locked up," Williams questioned as she studied the military grade heavy Gatling cannons.

"I'm not sure I want to find out," Alenko added.

"Move," she said and they passed through the second hatch warily moving and scanning as they slowly advanced through another set of corridors. As they continued on the corridors became flanked by rows of offices.

Suddenly Shepard heard something that sounded like something running beneath the floor. She jerked her hand up and made a fist signaling everyone to stop and freeze. There was that sound again… though this time it sounded like it was coming from above them.

Quickly she turned and pointed back in the direction they came. Alenko nodded and grabbed the doctor by the shoulder pulling her gently back while Williams brought up her rifle and turned around to make sure there wasn't anything behind them.

Slowly Shepard began to backpedal away from where she had heard the sound come from when all of a sudden the grated floor panels she was just on top of exploded upwards and some sort of creature crawled its way up.

Not hesitating she fired her weapon at the red insect like creature. Her first few rounds pinged off the insect's carapace and the thing charge right at her. She continued firing and several shots punched through the insect's armor with a wet sounding thump; eventually the rate of fire was too much for the bug and it collapsed with green luminous blood pouring from the cracks in its carapace.

With a screech of rending metal the grating above her collapse and Shepard had barely enough time to shout as another of the red bugs fell from the ceiling. The Spectre Operative dove forward using the butt of her rifle to break her fall. When she landed she rolled over onto her back just in time to see one of the 'tentacles' from the bugs lashed out at her. She rolled again dogging the tentacle as it buried itself in the steel floor.

A roar filled the room as Alenko and Williams fired their weapons at the bug which stuttered and finally collapsed from the hail of bullets. Slowly Williams took several steps toward the creature and when she was standing over it she fired several more rounds into its head.

"What the hell is that," Alenko question worriedly.

As Shepard pushed herself up off the floor she heard Liara exclaim, "By the goddess I… I think it's a Rachni."

"I thought they were extinct," Williams shot back accusingly.

Looking down on the thing Shepard grimaced. The red skinned six-legged thing that looked like a cross between a shrimp and a preying mantis did look a lot like a Rachni… of course the only holos of Rachni she'd ever seen were in a history book and a really bad horror-holo.

"They were," Liara stuttered, "they are… they're supposed to be," she said rubbing the back of her neck, "this is bad. Last time it took the pre-genophage krogan to defeat the Rachni at the cost of billions and billions of lives."

"You can say that again," Shepard muttered. She was grateful for her helmet so that her team wouldn't see her biting her lip. What were the chances that Benezia was still alive? With an asari commando unit to back her up she would have put the odds in the matriarch's favor, "we need to keep moving."

"Aye commander," Alenko and Williams replied dutifully as they shouldered their weapons.

Shepard briefly consulted the map of Peak 15 that Mr. Smith had forwarded her after their conflict with the geth in the garage back at Noveria city, "There's a tram that will take us to the main research facility located deep inside the mountain range," she paused looking at Liara, "if Matriarch Benezia is alive that's where she's gonna be, in the main lab."

XXX

_She was lying on the floor in a growling pool of her own rich crimson blood. Garrus ran up screaming in anguish as he fell to his knees, her blood splashing as he did, "Shepard, Kara… Kara please stay with me," he yelled as he cradled her head in his hands._

"_You bastard," she swore as blood slid from the corners of her mouth, "You let this happen… it's all your fault!"_

"_Kara," he cried over her broken body, "no I didn't…"_

"_You weren't there," she shouted spitting blood in his face before her body shuttered and went still._

Garrus woke with a jolt and franticly looked around. It took him a second for his brain to catch up with the fact that he was in the Normandy's medical bay and that horrible scene had been a nightmare. He took a moment to slow his breath and calm his heart that had been beating like a racing varen.

He sat up in the hospital bed and threw off the covers. He was about to pull out the IVs from his arm when one of the orderlies rushed into the room, "Whooa whoa hold on there," the man said franticly, "just wait for the doc to come back before you get up."

He paused before yanking out the IV's and slowly nodded before lying back down. As he did he was aware that his right arm was throbbing; no doubt from his injury. He took a deep breath before asking, "Where's Kara?"

The orderly blinked, "I'm sorry?"

Garrus nearly rolled his eyes as he realized that apart from him that no one would have any reason to know Shepard's nickname, "Commander Shepard," he clarified, "where's Commander Shepard?"

"Shepard's on a mission at the moment," Doctor Chakwas said entering the room, "thank you Thomas you're dismissed," she nodded to the orderly before turning back to Garrus when the man had left the room, "she sends her apologies about not being able to wait for you to recover," the doctor paused and starred at him in a way that made him feel like a lab specimen, "She cares for you very much."

"I know," Garrus answered carefully, "and I for her."

The doctor nodded as she went and checked his chart. After several moments she nodded before moving next to him and removing the IV drip in his arm. She then moved to set his right arm in a sling and said, "Now Mr. Vakarian in order for this to heal correctly and as quickly as possible you need to take it easy for a few days."

He nodded as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, "Thank you Doctor Chakwas," he said as he stood up before sitting back down as he realized that all he was wearing was a hospital gown.

Before he could say anything Chakwas spoke up, "Your clothes are on the chair… if there's anything thing else just holler."

"Thank you," Garrus said again as he made his way over to the chair that had his clothes. He then proceeded to do the awkward shuffle associated with trying to get into one's clothes with only one functional arm.

When he finally managed to get all of his clothes on he made sure his arm was comfortable, or as comfortable as it could, in the sling. As he exited the medical bay he glanced around trying to decide what he could do while he waited for Shepard to get back from the mission he should have been on. He growled, if she got hurt because he wasn't there to watch her back he'd never forgive himself.

He was about to head to the firing range when it hit him that he wasn't going to be able to shoot. He paused in the middle of the deck before deciding that the best thing he could do was head up to the CIC and wait for news on Shepard.

He ascended the stairs up to the CIC and as he reached the door it slid open reveling Lieutenant Presley, "Mr. Vakarian I was just about to come down to see you," the older man said sounding somewhat revealed that he didn't have to walk the length of the ship.

Garrus blinked. He and Presley hadn't got along… well they hadn't not got along … it was that they hadn't had many opportunities to meet and they never really had talked, "What for?"

"The Council's on the horn and without Shepard here I figured you be the next logical person to let them talk to," he said leaving Garrus dumbfounded.

"Me," he repeated questioningly, "Why me… you're the XO of the Normandy."

Presley shrugged, "I just make sure the ship runs and gets from place to place. I don't have or want anything to do with Spectre business," besides he added cocking his head, "You're her second in command for the ground team and would probably be better for this than an old ship pusher like me."

"Fine," Garrus grumbled wishing again he was out with Shepard though this time for a different reason, "led on," and the XO did.

When they came to the blast door to the comm room Presley typed in his access code before stepping back and allowing the turian to enter. He took a deep breath as he entered the room and stepped onto the holopad.

"_I'm sorry who are you_," the cool voice of the asari councilor filled his ears, "_and where is Agent Shepard._"

"Uhmm she gone," he stammered quickly before regaining his wits, "she leading a mission to capture Matriarch Benezia. I'm Garrus Vakarian… formerly a detective with C-Sec and a team leader for the Special Response Unit."

"_Vakarian… hmmm_," the turian councilor muttered, "_I know your father… he'd be most disappointed to know you're working with a human._"

Garrus felt his mandibles twitch and calmed a flaring temper before responding, "I'd think he be more angry that I'm working with one of your Spectres."

The turian councilor's eyes flared but he was prevented when the salarian interrupted, "_Gentle-beings please this isn't why we've make this communiqué. Mr. Vakarian,_" the salarian said addressing him, "_can we trust you to deliver this message to Agent Shepard._"

There were several ways he could have taken that statement but he choose to let it slide, "Of course."

"_Very good_," the salarian replied, "_we've received an urgent transmission from one of our infiltration units in the Traverse_."

Garrus nodded and did the math, "STGs," he said knowingly. STG stood for the Salarian Special Task Groups, an elite branch and combat arm of the Salarian Intelligence Service.

"_Correct_," the councilor informed him, "_we have several infiltration regiments scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel Space looking for any sign of Saren_."

His first instinct was to ask if Shepard knew about this and given that she hadn't informed him he doubted that was the case. If he did ask they'd feed him some bullshit about not needing to know until now, "You found him," he guessed again, "what's the intel you wanted to relay."

The salarian didn't say anything and instead allowed the asari councilor to speak, "_The transmission we received was little better than static. They must be in an environment where they haven't been able to deploy or there isn't a good interstellar communications system_."

"Are you sure they're in danger," he asked.

"_It's a channel that only to be used for the utmost emergency_," the turian answered, "_if they're using it then they must be in danger._"

"Alright I'll be sure Shepard gets the message councilors," he said sternly.

One by one the council members nodded and their holograms vanished.

XXX

Reaching up Shepard wiped the bug juice and guts off the face plate of her helmet as she and her team crouched outside the door to the hotlabs. Quickly she pulled the charging handle on her rifle to cycle the next round into the chamber. Looking up to her team she asked, "Ready?"

One by one her team nodded and Shepard punched the door's pad causing it to slide open. The moment the door started to open Shepard primed a flash bang grenade and tossed it into the lab. When the grenade exploded Shepard shouldered her rifle and with Alenko and Williams in tow stormed the room.

She took point as Alenko and Williams took up positions on her flanks as the entered the laboratory scanning the area with their weapons as they did. Shepard glanced around her cut churning as she did. She had a bad feeling about this, "Alenko, Williams spread out I..," she started when a flash of something caught her eye.

It wasn't easy to see but for a second it was there a distortion in the air…, "Fuck ,"she cursed and swung her weapon berating herself for her stupidity. Asari… fucking… Commandos used personal cloaking devices as a part of their ops. She swung her rifle around and double tapped on the trigger sending two rounds streaming through the air and with a wet thumping sound the rounds they impacted seemingly nothing, "cloaked commandos," she hollered as she dropped down to her right kneebehind one of the solid steel railing.

William started to fire her weapon as the commando's began to decloak while Alenko make sure that the doctor was down in cover. Shepard glanced quickly to her right and her left and grimaced at the position they'd walked into. The causeway went around in a square like pattern and it the center was a raised platform surrounded by thick walls.

She scooted along the railing in and clapped Alenko on the shoulder and gestured to him to move him over to Williams who was defending the west side. He nodded and she held up three fingers, slowly counting down until they hit zero and they swiftly switched postions.

She raised her rifle and glanced around the corner and gunned down two commandos that had dashed around the far corner. When as she gunned them down she frowned, these commandos seemed sloppy… almost too sloppy. She'd worked with Asari Commandos before during a joint operation and while they didn't have the professionalism the N7s, STGs and Turian Cabals prided themselves on they were definitely not sloppy. Shepard could be stealthy when she needed to, even inside her armor, but the asari were damn ghosts if they wanted to be.

She held her rifle up waiting for any more movement but when she didn't see anything she stood up slightly, but not fully and began to move forward her finger tense of the trigger of her weapon. When she reached an archway, not the end of the catwalk but the stairs up to the raised platform, she paused and knelt again. Taking a deep breath she spun around the corner with her rifle shouldered and ran up into the containment unit in the center of the hotlab, "Freeze," she hollered at the figure, "Don't move!"

The asari wasn't wearing any combat armor like the commandos or Shepard and her team. Instead she was wearing a black gown like outfit. Shepard didn't know if asari had some kind of natural resistance to the cold but that was a hell of an outfit to wear on this godforsaken planet.

The woman was staring at a large tank in which was had something… big in it, "You do not what it means to be a mother. There is power in creation, to shape a life, to turn it towards happiness or despair," she paused, "Her children were to me ours to control, raised to hunt Saren's enemies."

Shepard tightened her finger on the trigger, "I don't care," the commander said even though the thought of Saren having the Rachni at his command was terrifying, "put your hands over your head and get on your knees."

The Matriarch turned slightly to face her, "Insolence," she hissed and her body lit up in a blue aura and thrust her right hand out.

Shepard was about to fire her weapon at the Matriarch when she felt a massive ball of dark energy same into her side, knocked her off her feet and sent her flying into the wall. She fell to the ground with a thump and tasted blood in her mouth. She resisted the urge to spit out the blood that had accumulated in her mouth. Slowly she wobbly stood, collapsing back to her knees once before she finally managed to get back on her feet, "That's one hell of a right hook," she said groggily.

The Asari Matriarch turned fully around and before Shepard could raise her rifle the Matriarch flared again and the Spectre felt herself lifted off the ground and pulled towards the asari. The matriarch side step as Shepard sailed through the air and at the last moment she threw up her arms to do what little she could to cushion the blow. Nonetheless she hit the glass of the tank causing the bug-like creature to which was imprisoned within to flinch.

Coughing up the blood that was pooling in her mouth Shepard rolled over onto her stomach as she fumbled with the latched on her helmet. The moment the helmet hit the floor the wounded commander spit a stream of crimson blood onto the cold unforgiving steel floor.

Gritting her teeth as she tried to get her wounded, aching body to its feet she failed and could only manage to get up on one knee, "Come on bitch… is that all you got," she taunted spitting again and holding her arms open as if to invite a attack.

Matriarch Benezia stalked like a predator until the asari towered over the Spectre. The asari shook her head and made a disappointed 'tisking' sound, "Commander, commander… I'm quite disappointed," she teased, "Saren overestimate your abilities and strength. He thought you'd be so much more of a challenge," he features twisted into a coing visage, "to think… he thought about recruiting you."

Shepard smirked, her blood stained lips curving into a defiant little smile, "I'm flattered I just hope the dental's better than my last gig." Shepard's morbidly humorous declaration served a more important purpose than defiant last words. As she was speaking she let her left hand drift down out of sight and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her boot knife.

"Brave words," the Matriarch said appraisingly but before she could say anything else Shepard swiped up with her blade aiming for the harpy's jugular. The former N7 commando was fast but the asari was just a bit faster and caught Shepard's wrist with her left hand. While normally Shepard could have overpowered the woman, but she was not only wounded; she was also in a bad position leverage wise.

Shepard watched as a flash of rage passed over the Matriarch's feature, "You can't blame a girl for trying," she said with a faux smile… a smile which quickly turned to a grimace of pain as the asari gave a sharp tug on her wrist causing the knife to drop from her fingers, "owww," she ground out as pain flared in her wrist, "Maybe you can."

The asari Matriarch growled angrily and held out her hand which glowed with biotic power, "Goodbye commander."

Shepard grit her teeth as she waited for the asari to deliver the death blow but instead of her head being caved in by a biotic blast she heard two gunshot bursts. Shepard heard the Matriarch gasped in pain and glanced down to the two rapidly expanding blue patches of blood on her chest. The shooter slowly and regretfully lowered their weapon and Shepard didn't even have to study the figure to tell it was Doctor T'Soni.

"Doctor," she hissed painfully not only because of her own injuries but for Liara. She had no idea what the young, relatively when compared to her own species, asari would go through after killing her own mother. Shepard and her own mother weren't close; in fact the last face-to-face they had ended with a barely civilized argument. Still as much as she disliked the woman she wasn't sure she could kill her.

Liara ripped her helmet from her head and knelt down next to her mother's body, "Oh mother," she cried taking her mother's head in her hands, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be… little bird," the matriarch whispered softly, "You have no reason to be sorry," she took a harsh breath; "it is I who have everything to be sorry about."

Shepard frowned at the seemingly about-face shift in behavior. Before she could say anything Alenko and Williams rushed into the room but she waved him off before they could do anything; instead she focused in on what Benezia was saying as she had the feeling it was extremely important.

"Why were you working with Saren," Liara questioned her voice breaking as she did.

The matriarch's rapidly discoloring lips twitched in a smile, "It wasn't my intention little bird…," she drew a ragged breath, "I hoped to lead Saren down a gentler path, but I underestimated him… his ship is capable of…"

Shepard who'd by this point managed to get herself back on her feet, "We know about Sovereign ," she said pausing as she tried to recall the asari's name, "Shiala I think it was told us all about ," as she spoke she saw regret flash through the woman's eyes , "Matriarch," the Spectre said sternly, "you don't have much time left. I need to know what Saren's up too."

The dying woman slowly nodded, "As far as the researchers were concerned I was here to get the Rachni project back on track," she gulped, "unofficially I was here to secure the location of the Mu Relay from the mind of the rachni queen."

"What's so important about this relay and why do we need to find it," Shepard questioned eagerly.

"Four thousand years ago a star went supernova and blew the relay away from its orbit making it almost impossible to find," she took another ragged breath, "by accident the rachni found it at the height of the war. It's important because the relay is believe to be the only relay able to connect to the world that holds the conduit."

"Mother do you know where the conduit is," Liara questioned with tears running down her face as she ran the tips of her fingers of her right hand down her mother's face.

"No," she gasped, I'm… I'm sorry," she said exhaling her last breath.

Shepard glanced up at Alenko hoping he was smart enough to understand what she wanted. Thankfully he did and he slung his rifle before gently escorting Liara from the room. The asari rested her head against the Lt's chest and wept as he did. Turning her gaze to Williams after waiting until she was sure they were out of hearing range she asked, "Tell me you got that on your hardsuit recorder," she nearly pleaded. The Matriarch's dying confession combined with the recordings from Feros should go a long way to proving that is was a lot bigger than it seemed.

Willams tapped the side of her helmet with the first two fingers of her right hand, "Aye commander," the Gunnery Sergeant answered before adding, "What do we do with that?"

That… was obviously the rachni queen behind them in the large glass tank. Shepard sighed before through a glance at the sentient insect behind the glass and running her hand through her hair. When it came down to it who was she to decide the fate of an entire species, "It's above my pay grade gunny… I'll leave it to the Council to decide her fate," she grabbed her helmet off the floor while Williams grabbed Liara's, "help me grab the body."

William's glanced down at the body of the fallen Asari Matriarch and was about to argue but Shepard's glare was apparently enough to silence her, "Aye Commander."

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry this took me so long. If you haven't noticed already I borrowed at lot of the naval tactics and equipment from Battlestar Galactica (Reimagined Series). Apart from the Battle of the Citadel we never really saw a naval battles and even that battle didn't mesh with what tactics and information that was written in the codex. Also while they've been mentioned we've never seen any fighters from any side. For the purpose of this story the fighter appearances, tactics and maneuverability are based off BSG.**

**Another note is that while Mass Effect is primarily Shepard's story like STAR WARS is the story of Anakin Skywalker, his fall and redemption by his son, we're still talking about a galaxy wide event. I also find it hard to believe that the only thing that was going on was Shepard's assignment. I mean really were the geth and everyone else just standing around with their thumb up their ass?**

**So while this ****is ****Shepard's story it covers more than just her actions. Hackett and Lee, yes he's based off BSG, will feature in secondary roles until they end and play heavily in the Battle of the Citadel. I'm also going to be shifting a lot to Saren's perspective as the race to the conduit winds down.**

**Review Please. **


	7. Chapter 6: The Cure

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 6: The Cure

Shepard lay with her head resting on her lover's chest while her arms were wrapped around his waist. While Garrus's skin was harder than human skin it was also warmer… like her own little private heater she could snuggle with. Blinking the sleep from her eyes she rolled over glanced at her night stand. The clock on her stand read 05:50 which was less than four hours away from Virmire. In about thirty minutes she was going to have to conduct the briefing and finish preparations for the Virmire assignment.

She'd reported back to the Council after the Noveria assignment and they'd been extremely displeased to learn that Binary Helix had been cloning Rachni. They'd promised to send investigators to Noveria and had promised to look into the new data she had sent them on Benezia and this "_Sovereign" _ship.

Despite her optimistic hopes it appeared that far more was going on than just a rouge Spectre's private vendetta against the human race. The Reapers, who or whatever they were, were involved and that boded ill for everyone. If her visions were anything to go by than the Reapers were the single greatest threat the galaxy had ever faced.

Beneath her she felt Garrus's chest rumble, a clear sign that he was waking up, "What's up Kara," he said groggily and she felt his hand come to rest on the small of his back as he pulled her close to him and began to nuzzle her neck.

Closing her eyes she let the sensation sweep over her. He'd been good to begin with but over time they'd spent together he'd only gotten better, "As much as I hate say it," she moaned as Garrus's hand went south of the border, "we have to stop… we have to get ready."

Garrus groaned as he removed his mouth from her neck, "Shower," he said urgently.

"What," she muttered dumbly glancing down at him.

"We've got to take a shower right," Garrus answered in a sultry and suggestive tone.

Propping herself up on her elbow she took on an innocent tone, "Why Mr. Vakarian are you suggesting… a quicke," she said putting on airs but that didn't last long before they both collapsed in a fit of laughter and giggles.

"Why not," she finally said when the laughter died down and she saw Garrus's eyes go wide in surprise as she jumped from the bed. She felt Garrus's eyes follow her naked form When she was halfway to the shower she threw a glance over her shoulder, "coming lover?"

XXX

"_Saren, Spectre_," the monotone voice of a geth trooper intone, "_the attack by the salarian infiltration unit has been repulsed. Do you wish units to pursue and exterminate_?"

"No," the Spectre ordered sternly, "let them withdraw."

Unlike previous occasions the geth didn't immediately move to carry out his orders and instead questioned, "_Why_," it finally blurted tilting its head in a questioning matter, _"we cannot reach consensus. Logical dictates the immediate destruction of the opposition force_."

Saren rapped his talons on the armor plating of his thigh, "There is one being in this galaxy who may or may not know what we are trying to do," he started glaring hard at the geth's optical sensor, "this Kathryn Shepard touched minds with the beacon on Eden Prime , captured Shiala on Feros and killed Benezia on Noveria. So far she's proved to be the greatest single threat to this operation."

"_You wish to draw her into a trap using the salarians as bait_," the geth calculated and it was confirmed by a brief nod, "_Question: how do you know that Agent Shepard will be assigned to rescue the infiltration team?"_

"I know the Council's operating procedures," Saren barked harshly, "tracking me is Shepard's assignment. They'll turn over all information relative to that objective to her and that will bring her here where I can deal with her once and for all."

For a creature without an expression the geth did a good job of looking thoughtful, "_Affirmative,_" it finally said, "_We will comply_," and with that it left.

Saren watched the geth leave with barely controlled anger. During the last few months all of his plans had begun to go wrong. On Eden Prime he hadn't managed to cover his trail and that got him ejected from the Spectres. On Therum the geth botched the chance to get their hands on one of the foremost Prothean experts in the galaxy and on Feroes the geth couldn't even kill a plant! To make matters Benezia had gotten herself killed on Noveria and according to his sources on the Citadel she had even talked to the human before expiring.

He wasn't quite sure what Shepard did or didn't know but he was sure that he didn't want her around to interfere in his future plans. He needed to neutralize Shepard and do it fast. Killing her was certainty the easiest and quickest way to get rid of her, but it wasn't the easiest or perhaps even the best.

Saren gave thought to attempting to convince the human Spectre to join his cause. As formidable an enemy she had become he'd bet she'd be just as formidable as an ally. Perhaps it was a move of desperation to seek an enemy as an ally but Saren was beyond caring. This was bigger than either of them. If she didn't see the light then he'd just have to put her down.

XXX

Admiral Steven Hackett the Admiral of the Fifth Fleet and the commander of all Alliance Forces fighting the geth sat in his office onboard the _Orizaba _while it and the rest of the fleet commenced repairs after their battle in the Armstrong Cluster.

He took a sip of his black unsweetened coffee as he read over the latest logistic reports from the dockmaster of the naval shipyards on the status of the repairs to the fleet. Most of the major repairs were completed and now they were just waiting on replacement fighters and for the main cannon of one of the cruisers to be realigned.

There was a brief rap at his door and he looked up, "Enter," he called out and his personal yeoman entered holding a data pad.

"Admiral we received a communiqué from the Office of the President relaying a request from the Commander of the Combined Citadel Defense Fleet. General Septimus has requested we link up with the Allied Forces massing at the Citadel," the Admiral's aide reported.

Hackett sighed glancing up from the pad. General Orlan Septimus was a turian war hero of a dozen minor brush wars and the turian's most experience flag officer, "I'm going to guess the president didn't make that a request, "the admiral said wearily. He didn't have anything against the turians or aliens in general. He was however wary of putting his sailors, soldiers and marines under the command of a foreign officer.

"Aye Admiral," he said with a slow nod, "our Commander-in-Chief has ordered us to rendezvous with the Allied Fleet as soon as the Fifth is fully operational again."

He gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he reread the orders for himself before dismissing the yeoman and taking another sip of his coffee. Putting down the datapad the yeoman brought him he picked up another, the one he had been reading before he was interrupted.

The datapad contained a full layout of Shepard's field reports and findings from her assignments. What was troubling the old admiral the most was her growing concern that the geth and Saren weren't the true threat. He watched the helmet recording of the asari on Feros and Matriarch Benzia talk about this fearsome and mysterious dreadnaught _Sovereign _and these Reapers.

The strategist in him was irate that something this big, this important, could have been overlooked. He'd seen the reports from what had been salvaged from the marine garrison and observation satellites and any third-rate analyst could tell that that_ Sovereign_ clearly wasn't a geth ship.

In fact their encounter with the geth in the Armstrong Cluster proved that. He had received the analysis report he'd asked for back on a comparison of _Sovereign's_ energy readings from Eden Prime to the energy readings they took in their battle. They didn't match… except on the most basic levels and that didn't say much because on the most basic levels a human ship would match a turian and whatnot.

He had forwarded the results to Fleet Command on Arcturus Station and a copy to the Citadel. Whatever his position on the Allied Fleet may have been it didn't do anyone but the geth and the reapers any good if he withheld it.

Hopping onto his computer he logged into a secure channel and began typing up a reply to Fleet Comm and the President saying that he'd comply with his orders and depart from Terra Nova the moment his fleet was fully operational again. After sending that message he prepared another for General Septimus requesting information on where exactly the turian wanted him and what his assignment would be.

When he finished with that he closed down the computer and swept up the logistics datapad to continue his check of the fleet.

XXX

"_Commander we've just exited FTL, stealth systems are engaged and we're moving in to take up a position in orbit_," Joker's voice came over the loudspeaker.

Glancing up from where she had been strapping her side-arm to her thigh Shepard replied, "Copy that Lieutenant make sure your scanning for burst transmissions," she reminded him. On the way here she'd put in a call to Salarian Special Operations Command requesting a crash course in STG tactics and procedures.

She'd spent a good six hours on the comm with a STG Colonel as he went over what she'd could expect and how to best link up with the covert unit with giving them away. While linking up with another Spec Op unit that was something she was familiar with the other team had always been another human military unit with similar SOPs.

The STG Colonel had informed her that STG teams, when expecting support, used a very fine stream data burst transmission which contained their location and status. So if the STG were following their own operating procedures then this mission would be off to a good start. If not Shepard wasn't quite sure what she could do.

Shepard spared a glance at the rest of her team and Garrus's team as they suited up and ran checks on their weapons. She hid a smirk as she glanced back down to insert the charging handle back into her rifle. This group of misfits who, six months ago she would rather gone on a mission by herself than with, them was shaping into the best, or perhaps luckiest, unit she had ever commanded.

"_We have the signal commander_," Joker blared interrupting her thoughts, "_decrypting now_."

"Any sign of the geth Lieutenant," Shepard questioned warily. If this planet was as important as the Council and the STG teams seemed to think it was she would have expected a fleet of ships orbiting the planet.

"_Negative, negative commander_," he said after a few moments, "_Skies are clear_."

After hooking her helmet to the back of her belt Shepard frowned. Somehow that was almost if not as bad as if he had said they were facing hundreds of warships. The only reason to leave something so apparently import was one: it wasn't as important as everyone seemed to think it was, two: it was a secret facility that Saren wanted to keep hidden and three: it was a trap.

Shepard could believe the first one without much difficulty. Armies in wars throughout the ages have devoted countless men and material in efforts that would later be revealed to be a wild goose chase. Even the vaunted Salarian Intelligence Services was capable of making mistakes.

She, however, was much more skeptical about the second possibility. Saren wasn't an idiot. Despite the fact that fate seemed to be against him Shepard wasn't stupid enough to consider him her inferior. They didn't make stupid Spectres. The secrecy of whatever was on this planet was clearly gone and Saren should be rushing reinforcements to defend or evacuate whatever was so important.

The finally possibility was the one she was most worried about. The _Normandy_ would be invisible both in and out of the atmosphere but the moment her boots it the ground both she and the _Normandy_ was vulnerable. The geth had to have AAA and SAM's all over the place and as soon as a firefight started any mobile batteries they had would go on high alert looking for the _Normandy._ Any evac option would have to get them beyond the range of the AA units or they'd have to destroy those batteries themselves. Either way it wasn't pretty plan.

The thought that it was a trap was an interesting one or more importantly it was interesting though of whom the trap was set for? Somehow she doubted the trap at been set for a single STG unit and while it was a flattering thought she didn't think it was a trap sent for her. The best rational her mind could come up with was that Saren and the geth were setting up a trap for the Allied Citadel Fleet.

The last she had heard from the Council was that they had put out a call to the turians, asari, salarian, and Alliance governments for ship to defend the Citadel and respond to the threat posed by Saren and the geth. If the geth got the Citadel Fleet to move and wiped it out before it was properly bolstered then the Citadel would be vulnerable to attacks as the Council scrapped and begged to replace its losses.

"We have the location of the salarians and I've already done a flyby," Joker's voice once more echoed over the comm system, "_It's a heavily wooded area with a river running through the middle of it. Don't big enough for a jump_."

Before answer she turned her neck to look back at Garrus, "Get them down to the cargo bay," she said. If the area had been open enough she would have preferred conducting a combat jump froma least a hundred and fifty meters off the ground so the _Normandy _didn't have to come in at treetop height as it did now, "Do have eyes on anything else in the area Lieutenant?"

"_Aye skipper_," the pilot sounded, "_there's a facility surrounded by a ring of triple A and SAM batteries about two klicks upriver_."

She grimaced even as she said, "Nice work Lieutenant take us in," she wasn't so much worried about the SAM's the Normandy's stealth systems and ECM would take care of them. She was worried about the anti-aircraft-artillery as it was unguided and therefore unaffected by the stealth systems and the ECM.

She took a last look over her equipment before she was satisfied she had everything and headed to where the rest of her team was waiting. She had another potentially suicidal mission to accomplish.

XXX

"_Jaeto, Four coming in_," a voice whispered over the comm giving the running password for the operation and the number of troopers returning from their patrol.

Captain Kirrahe the commander of the 3rd Company of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG waited until the four salarian came into view before lowering his rifle and clicking the safety back on. He tapped each commando on the shoulder as they moved into the company's security zone to make sure he had a correct count of all his men.

When he was finished he followed the last man back to the middle of the security zone for a debriefing on their recon patrol, "What did you see corporal," the STG officer questioned the moment they were secure.

The salarian NCO activated his omi-tool bringing up the feed from his helmet camera, "Sir if you notice here it looks like they went and pulled all their patrols and anti-air back behind the facility's perimeter," the operative said as he scrolled through the feed.

"Good job corporal," he said as he downloaded the data from the salarian's omi-tool, "take you're men and get something to eat."

"Yes sir," the corporal said.

The Captain couldn't see his eyes beneath his helmet the commando's body language told him he was weary… they all were weary. They'd lost too many comrades, too many friends, investigating that damn facility. He just hoped what every officer hoped when he or she was called upon to lay not only their live but the lives of the soldiers under them. He hoped that in the end it would be worth the blood price they paid.

With the data on his omi-tool he walked over to where his second, First Lieutenant Rentola, was catching the thirty minutes or so that at the very minimum a salarian need to function properly. When he reached him he gave the Lieutenant a gently kicking in the side.

The salarian was on alert immediately reaching for his weapon before he saw his commander and let the weapon go, "Sir," he questioned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground mostly likely assuming the Captain wanted him to take command while he went on a patrol or something like that.

"Sit back down Rentola," the captain said softly not wanting to wake the other slumbering commandos, "the patrol just got back and I want you to look over their finds with me."

"Yeah," he said throwing a look up at the heavens, "I hope our reinforcements get here soon."

Kirrahe too looked up at the heavens. He on more than one occasion over the last few weeks found himself straining his eyes to see if he could catch even the slighted glimpse of shadow that meant reinforcements or as humans put it, the cavalry, has arrived, "They're already too damn late," he cursed as the faces of his dead men swam up before his eyes, "Too damn late."

XXX

With a thump Shepard felt her boots it the soft sand of the river bank and fell forward catching herself with her hands and knees. Quickly she unlatched the straps on her eezo pack and let it fall to the ground before shouldering her rifle and scanning the area.

As the rest of her squad came in behind her she make a quick gesture for them to make a b-line for the tree-line. Holding on her rifle with her right hand she picked up the eezo pack and followed her team into the tree where they were stashing their packs underneath some dense brush and vegetation.

After stashing her pack as well she formed up her team, her, Alenko and Wrex, at the front of the formation in a wedge formation with her in the point man position at the very front. Garrus's team followed about fifteen meters behind and in an identical formation.

Next to Urban Warfare, Jungle warfare was the most hazardous and hard mentally and physically on the troops who fought on the ground. The minimal visibility, constant threat of ambushes and bobby traps and the unnerving feeling of being surrounded made it a hellish environment to fight in.

Upon reaching roughly 200 hundred meters from the estimated salarian position she held up her left hand in a fist signaling them to halt and then made a sweep motion with the same hand signaling them to drop to their knee and take cover.

Doing the same she brought her left hand to the side of her helmet near her ear and opened low frequency short-range comm channel on frequencies the STG colonel had given her, "STG forces this Agent Shepard with Special Tactics and Recon and seven friendlies coming up on your southwest perimeter," she paused before repeating her last sentence.

There was a brief pause and Shepard was about to set a wider frequency range when she heard a voice come over the comm, "_Shepard this is Captain Kirrahe. It's a pleasure… southwest perimeter is open hurry through._"

"Roger that Captain," she said and motioned her team forward. Shouldering her rifle her team picked themselves up and continued forward towards the STG's forward defensive position. As they moved Shepard kept a keen eye open for the salarians in cover. It was a point of professional to spot them before they spotted her; it was made far more difficult because the salarians were stationary as she was on the move.

"Halt," a voice crackled from the brush and Shepard cursed under her breath. She let go her weapon with her left hand and pointed the barrel of her weapon towards the air in a nonthreatening manner. As two camouflaged and armored salarians emerged from the brush, "Captain Kirrahe is waiting for you in the Cee-Pee Agent Shepard."

"Lead the way," she said with a small nod and the STG operators lead them back to where their captain had set up a small command post.

The captain sat on a stump with his helmet off. He stood as she approached and held out his hand, "I think this the correct gesture," the STG captain said with a small smile on his face.

Shepard took his hand and shook it, "It is… nice to meet you Captain."

"Likewise Agent Shepard," Kirrahe replied as he sat back down, "So you're the pathfinder's for the rest of the fleet… right?"

Beneath her helmet Shepard felt her lip twitch. They were expecting the fleet…, "Sorry to disappoint captain, but it just my team and my ship in orbit. We were sent to investigate the transmission your sent. It was grabbled and couldn't be understood."

The salarian's horizontal eyelids blinked rapidly, "That is a repetition of our original assignment," the captain hissed, "I've lost a lot of good men investigating that damn facility!"

Shepard grimaced at the captain's reaction. She imaged that if something similar had happened to her, her reaction wouldn't be all that different from his. The captain's men had been out dying in the jungle awaiting the fleet to come in and rescue them, but instead got a single frigate and a squad of troopers.

"Sorry captain," she said as sympathetic as she could be, "but we're all you got," she paused, "I hate to be a bitch but time is not an element on our side. Show me what you've got."

The salarian captain slowly nodded before bringing up his omi-tool and deploying a 3-D topographical map of the area.

XXX

Lieutenant Commander Adam Lee sat in the officer club in the naval yard in New Belfast. It was one of the most popular destinations for naval and marine personal on leave. He knocked back another shot of tequila and motioned for a refill.

"Scuttlebutt says were gonna be heading out to the Citadel," Commander Aaron Maxwell the CAG of the SSV Einstein said as he held a bottle of beer by its steam, "you heard anything Lee?"

Lee shook his head, "Sorry Max … haven't heard anything new," he said as the bartender refilled his shot glass, "though it makes sense. The news has been making a big deal about the fleets gathering at the Citadel."

"Not sure I like the idea of serving under an alien," another man with the gold oak-leaves of a Marine Major said as he ground the butt of his cigarette into the ash tray before lighting up another, "just doesn't seem right to me."

"Doesn't sit well with me either," Commander Maxwell said sipping on his beer, "but what are we gonna do about it," he finished setting the empty beer bottle on the bar's counter. He spun on the stool to ace Lee, "By the way I never congratulated you on becoming an ace," he finished throwing Lee a mock salute.

"Thanks," the commander of the twenty-fourth interceptor squadron said raising his shot glass up into the air. He quickly downed the shot before standing and pulled his wallet from rear pocket and swiped his ID through the slide that would charge his account, "Sorry boys I need to get back to ship," and with that he left.

As he left the bar he pulled his uniform overcoat as the chilly wind of New Belfast tore through the air. The Lt. Cmdr. could have caught a cab back airstrip but instead he decided that he could use the fresh air. It'd been a hard couple of weeks and looked as if things were only going to get harder.

Before this the only thing the Navy had been doing was patrol duty, the occasional disaster relief and the even rarer skirmish with pirates and raiders. He had rather enjoyed the chance to trounce a few pirates and raiders in outdated and sometimes even antique fighters and ships which didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of standing up to a real ship of the line.

As he thought back to it now seemed like they had almost been playing at war compared to their battle with the geth. Back then Alliance losses were few and far between as they always had a clear advantage over their opponents. Now they were fighting an opponent who technologically was at the very least their equal.

For the first real time he realized that this war was going to be a bitch. By the time the geth had been driven back behind the Veil, assuming they could be beaten in a full scale war, millions if not more would be dead mostly likely concluding himself and all his men. It was a very sobering thought.

He flashed his ID card two the MP's at the checkpoint to the airstrip before passing through the gate and onto the tarmac towards the shuttle. When he reached the shuttle he slapped the release button and the hatch popped open.

"Pilot," Lee called out has he entered the shuttle, "How long until we take off?"

The pilot checked his logbook and then said few words to the tower before turning back, "We can go now if you want Commander doesn't look like we have anyone due back for at least an hour."

Lee nodded, "Take us out," he said as he strapped himself into the co-pilot's seat.

The pilot ran down the checklist and Lee assisted to make the preflight check go faster. When they were finally finished the pilot radioed the tower one last time before the pilot throttled up the engines and the shuttlecraft rose into the air.

Throughout their flight the commander noticed that the pilot kept glancing over at him like he wanted to ask a question but wasn't sure how to ask. As the shuttle broke orbit Lee leaned back in chair as the orbital dockyard of Terra Nova and the _Big-E_ herself came into view.

Suddenly he noticed something strange out of the corner of his eye. The patrols of frigates and cruisers were breaking from their standard patrol routes and where taking a position between the docks and the direction of the Mass Relay.

"What's going on," Lee asked rapidly glancing from ship to ship in the dockyard.

If the pilot was going to say anything he was cut off as Admiral Hackett's voice cut across the communicator, "_All ships this is Admiral Hackett on a priority one transmission. Possible geth activity sighted near the Relay; Set Condition One throughout the fleet and man your battle stations, this is not a drill._"

"Shit," the pilot cursed angrily, "I'm getting out of here!"

"Get to the Enterprise," the Commander said sternly placing his hand on the pilots arm, "That's an order ensign."

XXX

Shepard carefully nodded as she studies the maps STG officer presented and felt a twinge of envy pass through her. These were perhaps best recon photos she had ever seen apart from a satellite or off the _Normandy_ herself.

She scrolled back to a still of the facility, "Do we know exactly what this is," Shepard questioned circling the picture with her forefinger.

"It's a R&D facility," the Captain said softly before delivering crushing news, "breeding an army of Krogan to serve him."

Apparently the captain had not been as quiet as he should have been because moments later the krogan battlemaster Wrex grumbled his eyes ablaze, "That's impossible… the Genophage prevents it!"

The vertical slits of the salarian's eyes blinked rapidly before the STG officer exhaled, "Saren's apparently has developed a cure to reversal the genophage's effects. It that's true…," the man trailed off letting Shepard form her own conclusions.

And form them the commander did. She nor any other human had been around during the Krogan Rebellions but knew from the history holos and texts that it had been a war the Council had been well on their way to loosing before the salarians had developed the genophage bio-weapon. If Saren could use the sway the krogan or even breed or clone and army of his own in conjunction with the geth he already commanded… the thought brought Shepard to a place she didn't want to go.

Whatever her personal moral feeling about the salarian sterility plague she was smart enough to realize that the Council hadn't a choice in the matter. If they hadn't they would have been overwhelmed and civilization as a whole would have been destroyed.

"We have to destroy it," she finally said to Wrex's dismay.

'What," the inflamed krogan roared inserting himself brutally in between Shepard and the salarian officer, "No this cure is the salvation of my people Shepard," he paused for a heartbeat as his nostrils flared and eyes narrowed , "I've fought for you Shepard and for reasons beyond the credits you pay me, but things are starting to look a little foggy."

Shepard grit her teeth and gestured over to the side away from the prying ears of the STGs, "We'll be just a minute captain," she hissed.

When she had pulled the enraged krogan away she glared at him, "Listen Wrex," she growled in a low voice, "I'm not going to even pretend we're friends, but Saren isn't your friend either."

"Saren offers a cure for my people," the krogan bit back just a little too loudly.

Shepard spared a glance over Wrex's shoulder and saw both Garrus and Williams cycle the bolt of their weapons. She gave a slight shake of her head and they both relaxed… if only slightly, "Use the fucking organ in between your ears for something else than to old your helmet on," she cursed backhanding the krogan across the face, "Saren doesn't give a fuck about the krogan you're little more than a walking fleshy mechs to him!"

She took a step back and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she calmed down from anger, "You have to make a choice Wrex," she said softly, "you can be Saren's…," she paused searching for the right word, "slaves, his bitch or you can stand against him… it's your choice."

Wrex ground his teeth and rolled his massive head as he brought his hand up to cradle his jaw, "Damn you Shepard," he hissed, "Damn you, your fucktoy over there and damn your whole fucking race to hell if you're not right," he sighed deeply his shoulders sagging, "I'm in but I want that bastard Saren to pay."

Shepard ignored his remark about Garrus, he'd pay for that later, "I'll let you rip his head off if we get the chance," she said absolutely serious. She wasn't quite sure how her ad Saren's confrontation would pan out but she doubted the ex-Spectre would let himself be taken alive.

Thrusting a glove covered finger at her face he growled, "I'm gonna hold you to that Shepard."

"I bet you will," she added without much emotion, "Now," she continued steel reentering her voice, "fall in line and let's get this shit over," with that said she pushed her way pat him hoping that he wouldn't turn and cave her head in.

But thankful he didn't make a move but just walked off grumbling under his breath. Garrus stepped up to her with a concerned look on his face, "You had be worried for a second Shepard," he whispered softly.

Shepard threw a quick glance over shoulder before turning back to face her turian, "I need you to watch him Garrus and if…" she made a quick cutting gesture across her throat.

The turian nodded and patted the side of his rifle, "I understand."

XXX

The mighty _Big-E_ shook as a nuclear device impacted against the kinetic barrier. Lee found himself thrown up against the wall as the low yield tactical nuke detonated. He scrambled to his feet and continued making his way towards the launch deck for the fighters.

"Shit," he cursed. The Shipyards at Terra Nova were supposed to be one of the most secure places in the Alliance and someone, he was going to assume the geth, had not only managed to slip through the perimeter, but had brought nukes with them.

He'd already dressed in his combat flight suit and joined up with the reserve fighter unit as they headed towards their fighters. Dashing through the last doors to the launch bay, ignoring the blaring sirens and avoiding the damage control teams, he ordered the pilots to their craft and hurriedly sought out the deck chief.

"Chief," he hollered at the top of his lungs as he found the grizzled old NCO yelling at a couple of deck hands, "What the hell's going on here?"

The Deck Chief glared at him, "We got caught with our damn pants caught down around our waist and the geth are giving it to us up the ass," he shook his head before shouting out a few more commands to the deck hands, "a couple of big cruisers wiped out the Relay Patrol before they could get a word off and overloaded the sensor grid with so many pings it still sorting it out."

"How many targets," the commander said quickly as he climbed into his fighter and quickly started an emergency pre-flight.

"After all the big ships left about six or seven nuclear armed suicide fighters slipped in… that's what you felt hitting the Big-E," he explained before slapping the side of the fighter, "Your good to go commander."

He gave the chief a give nod and Lee pressed the button that caused the cockpit canopy to slid forward and seal. The commander gave the chief a thumbs up before the Raptor was loaded onto the sled and launched.

Lee felt the old familiar sensation of being slammed chair by the force of acceleration back in his chair before the sleek fighter broke free of the Enterprise's artificial gravity and out into the blackness and weightlessness of space.

"_Knights_," he heard the voice of the Enterprise's CAG call for his squadron over the comm, "_proceed on vector two-eight by nine-three and kept your eyes peeled._"

"Roger that Enterprise," Lee called before switching over to his squadron comm channel, "alright boys and girls we're gonna spilt up by pairs and go hunter killer."

One by one the flight leaders acknowledged and they split off into pairs darting through and around the ship yard like angry bees defending their hive. As Lee and his wingman flew back over the length of the carrier he winced as he saw the damage the _Big-E_ had suffered. A good circular scorch ring of black and twisted metal scarred the side where the nuke had detonated right above the starboard flight pod where the ships would come into land.

His lip twitched at the thought of what would have happened if the Kinetic Barriers hadn't been deployed the nuke would have blown the pod to kingdom come and probably taken the carrier with it. Alliance Carriers were never met to enter combat and they weren't even close to armored enough to stand up in an open fight.

As another nuke detonated against the hull of the Enterprise Lee cursed again. Someone or something had fucked up here real bad.

XXX

Shepard move slowly, each step carefully planned for minimal noise, through the forest with only Virmire's two moons for light. Alenko and Williams followed behind her as they moved towards the breeding facility from the west side while Garrus and the salarians moved in towards from eastern side to prepare for a diversionary strike.

The plan as it was relatively simple. The Salarian Special Tasks Group commandos and Garrus's team would assault the facility drawing the geth towards them and away from her infiltration team while they slipped into the back and planted the nuke. The Salarian had wanted to jury rig his ship's drive core to create a faux nuclear bomb, but she had nixed that idea. Improvised explosives were great if you couldn't get your hands on the real stuff, but when you had a standard Alliance issue Fury Tactical Nuclear Weapon.

While they hadn't ever been used in anger Alliance N7 commandos generally kept a few on ship in case they were ever needed. It had been a simple enough matter to get the Fury airdropped in from the _Normandy_. While the blast of the Fury was only about twenty megaton it still had enough kick to vaporize everything for at least ten square kilometers in every direction.

Normally though, even N7 Commandos would have to receive authority from a flag level officer of at least 0-10 grade, full Admiral or General, for authorized use of Nuclear Ordinance. As a Spectre she was legally above the law, but she knew Alliance Command wouldn't be very please she broke nuclear protocol.

Almost without thought she reached her left hand around and touched the football shaped device attached to her belt at the small of her back. Again Nuclear Ordnance Protocol demanded the only the team leader should carry the weapon. While in training she had carried a dummy one like everyone else this was the first time she had a live one. She was a little bit nervous about having a nuke strapped to her ass. Logically she knew there was no way for it to go off unless she armed it, but it was still unsettling. It was a far cry from training where they had actually played a game off football with the dummy.

As they approached the western wall of Saren's compound Shepard felt a feeling of unease well up in her stomach. She glanced to her right and left then judged the distance between the tree line and the wall as less than twenty meters. Anyone building a base in the middle of the forest knew they had to push the forest back around them to at least two to three hundred meters to prevent any sneak attacks on the base just like they were doing now.

"Low crawl," she whispered to her squad-mates and she eased herself to the ground and began the low arduous crawl through the mud and grime towards the base of the wall. When she got to the wall she got to her knees and pressed her against the side, "Williams," she whispered again, "satchel."

Williams nodded and pulled a shaped satchel charge from her pack, stripped the paper covering off the back exposing the sticky side. She pressed the charge to the side of the wall and made sure the seals were good before plugging the detonator into the plastic materiel that made up the charge.

Shepard felt the gunny tap her on the shoulder as she moved around in front of her, "Stand Clear," she whispered and quickly activated her omi-tool Shepard synced her tool up with the detonator and waited. The diversionary attack should be starting soon and she needed something to over the sound of the explosion. She waited listen as the first popping of gunfire shatter the peaceful silence of the night.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the air and Shepard wasn't quite what it was but it didn't make any difference. She triggered the detonator and a tenth of a second later the wall blew in. Shepard made a quick and signal and shouldered her rifle entering the newly made door with her team in tow.

She warily glanced around. Her team the aptly named shadow team purpose was to infiltrate the facility, plant the bomb and get the hell out while the other team bought time and provided a distraction. It would make this mission a hell of a lot easier the longer they went unnoticed.

Sticking to the shadows they moved silently their suppressed weapons held ready just in case. Fromm the corner of her eye she saw an orange flare and heard a deafening explosion. For a second she felt her breath catch and her chest tighten with worry about Garrus and the others. Shaking off her worry she focused back on the mission.

Eventually after dodging a few patrols they came to the main laboratory building, a massive structure that rose out of the ground in an ominous fashion. The came to what looked like a massive loading doors for shipping containers and transport vehicles and beside it on the left was a normal door.

Williams moved to take up positions on either side of the door while Shepard took a position up in front of it. She watched as Alenko brought up his omi-tool and began to fiddle with it, "The door has a secondary level of security that'll trip if attempt to disable the top level without first disabling the bottom," he paused for a moment, "give me a few seconds."

As he was working on Shepard popped the breach on her rife she inserted a concussion round in into the chamber and cycled the rifle. While not as powerful as explosives a concussion was far quieter and less dangerous to the breaching team.

A concussion round was ideal for breeching situations where you didn't want to risk explosives and the door was too strong to bash in manually. Finally Alenko shut down his omi-tool and flashed her a thumbs up before re-shouldering his rifle.

Moments later Williams nodded signaling she was ready and Shepard raised her rifle and focused in on the side of the door with the handle. Tensing she pulled the trigger and with a "whoomp" the concussion round fired and shattered the door lock and it brokenly swung open.

Williams was the first to enter SWAT style with Alenko seconds behind her. Shepard shouldered her weapon and advanced. The moment she crossed the threshold she shifted her aim to cover the stair case at her ten o'clock.

"Clear," the gunny called out from the base of the stair.

Shepard glanced up the three flights of stairs with a worried expression on her face which thankfully was concealed by her helmet. She had no idea what waited for them once they made it into the laboratory or at least she assumed that this building was the laboratory as their scans had revealed that most of the bases electrical power was being funneled into this building.

"I'm on point gunny," the Spectre said brooking no argument. She put her right put boot on the first step while at the same time her weapon was aimed up toward the top of the stairs. Slowly one step at a time she and her team began to climb the stairs.

Shepard felt her heart pounding in her as the harsh sound of her breathing echoed in her ears as she advanced into the unknown. Finally they reached the top flight of the stairs and stood before door like the one they had previous forced themselves through.

She let Alenko pass her on the right so the LT could check for addition security features. When the Lieutenant finally reported it was clean he fell back into line and she reached forward and very slowly pushed the door open.

"Clear," she whispered as she fully opened the door and went through it. If the recon photos were correct they were on the right track towards what the STG eggheads had calculated as the optimum position to place the bomb.

Like a wisp of cloud they ghosted their way through the facility avoiding two patrols of geth troopers that were making their rounds. As they passed through the labs Shepard couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as they walked through a phalanx of krogan fetuses and embryos floating in glass tubes. She wasn't a religious person, at least not for a long time now, but what they were doing here didn't sit right with her.

She could actually understand where the desire to cure the genophage came from but what Saren was doing to the krogan, breeding them like a hunter breeds a hound, was wrong. How or why the Blood Pack krogans would allow the allow Saren to turn them into slaves was beyond her.

Eventually they made their way through the lab and into another room which looked somewhat like the council chamber with a long walkway extending out over a lower level.

"Commander," she heard Alenko say quickly, "look down there. Is that what I think it is?"

Shepard spared a glance down to the lower level and her eyes went wide as she did… a second Prothean beacon, "I think it is," she hissed as painfully memories of her first encounter with a similar device flashed through her mind, "Take positions at the entry ways ," she ordered the two marines as she started down the stairs.

When she finally stood before the beacon she activated her omi-tool and recorded the signals emitting from the device. As she stood near the beacon she could felt almost like the device was calling out to her. She grit her teeth and tried to focus on anything but the beacons siren song. Eventual against her own better judgment she reached out with her right hand and laid her palm flat against the cool metal skin of the device.

The moment her gloved hand touched the prothean beacon she felt something like electricity jolt through her entire body. "Fuck," she hissed in pain has a host of images, most being extremely disturbing, assaulted her mind. As the beacon released her she collapse down on one knee, "Son of a bitch."

At least it didn't cause her to pass out like last time. That would have complicated matters beyond all belief if Alenko and Williams had to carry her unconscious body. While on one knee she planted the bomb behind the beacon. It wasn't the spot the STGs had suggested she planted it but she wanted to make sure that no matter what the beacon was destroyed. With one last curse she forced herself back on her feet and started stumbling back up the stairs.

"Are you alright commander," she heard Alenko questioned looking back over his shoulder.

Shepard chuckled and giving the man a look, "I just got brain fucked lieutenant… again how do you think I feel," she shook her head and was about to say smoothing else that could be classified as a 'smart-ass' remark when she noticed a red glow being projected on the wall in front of her.

"Is that a VI," she heard Williams question as Shepard turned around to investigate the source of the strange light. She approached the familiar looking holographic figure warily… it was Saren's flagship… _Sovereign_ if she remembered correctly.

She only gotten a glimpse of it back on Eden Prime but she was sure it wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon. The more important question was if _Sovereign_ really was a Reaper then it made sense the Saren had just found it, as unlikely as that sounded, and had merely learned how to operate it. If Saren figured out all its secrets and even worse if the geth had the technological capacity to produce more ships like Sovereign then Saren may not even need the rest of the Reapers.

If it was a schematic of the reaper ship then maybe they could find some weakness in its design. That would be a major intel coup for the boys in the Citadel Intelligence Agency. She stepped forward with her omi-tool activated to record all the data from the terminal.

As she neared the end of the outstretched platform she heard three artificial and chilling deep words issue forth from the hologram, "_You are not Saren_."

Ok… definitely not a simple set of schematics, "Ahhh no… I'm not," she drawled before pausing, "are you some kind of Virtual Intelligence interface," she echoed Williams's early question.

"_Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. There is a realm of existence, so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I, am beyond your comprehension. I… am Sovereign_," it said in that same lifeless but chilling tone.

"Definitely not a VI," she intoned eyes wide underneath her helmet before they narrowed with revelation, "fucking hell," she intoned as the realization fully hit her, "you're not a reaper ship you're an actual reaper!"

It was an important distinction. Geth capital ships, at least all the ones they'd seen so far, were just like anyone else's; ships that required people or in the geth's case actuall troopers or platforms to crew them. A ship that was an AI not merely crewed by them was something no one had ever seen before and presented a huge threat. Weapons and tech aside such fighting such a ship would be like fighting a living creature. It wouldn't require a captain to give orders to be relayed to the proper department all it would have to do it think and its body would move.

"'_Reaper?' A label created by the Prothean's, to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant... we simply, are_."

"That was fifty thousand years ago," Shepard exclaimed. It was hard to believe anything could have lasted that long; though… she had to admit for a machine it was possible depending of what level of maintenance was required and the quality of the materials involved in its construction. Of course this all brought into question who built them.

"_Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades, you wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution, and existence. Before us, you, are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."_

Shepard straightened up in a defiant posture, "The entire galaxy will unite to fight you."

"_Confidence born in ignorance, the cycle cannot be broken. The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance and at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Prothean's were not the first, they did not create the 'Citadel', they did not forge the 'Mass Relays' they merely found them. The legacy of my kind."_

Cycle…? Was it series? That meant not only were the protheans not the first galactic civilaztion or the creators of the citadel and relays… the reapers were. That begged the question, "Why would you construct the relays… the citadel for us to…. Slowly she closed her eyes in understanding.

"_Your civilization is based on the technology of the Mass Relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it, and you will end, because we demand it."_

The more she thought about it the more it made sense. When civilizations encountered the relays and the citadel it shapes the direction technologies develop. Previously before discovering the prothean cash on Mars and the Charon Relay humanity was experimenting with slip-space technology as a form of Faster-than-Light Travel, but abandoned it once discovering mass effect technology. This way the reapers could make sure no "wildcard" technology that may pose a threat to them was created.

"What's the point in all this," Shepard questioned. That was the one thing in all this she didn't understand. The geth for the large part had merely defended their existence when the quarians tried to destroy them. It was possible the reapers wanted to destroy all organic life out of a sense of self-preservation, but that didn't make sense because they could have just wiped out organic while their still at Stone Age level technology instead of waiting until they were capable of developing interstellar civilizations.

"_My kind transcends your very understanding, we are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence._"

So far the thing at the very least was talkative so she decided to go for broke and ask the one question she hoped to God she was right, "Where are the rest of the Reapers… are you the last of your kind?"

"We… are legion," the Machine responded with absolute resolve, "the time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."

"Cheerful," she muttered sarcastically as its words brought her visions into a greater clarity. The events that took place in her visions had been the prothean… "culling." A shiver went down her spin as she thought of it, "We'll stop you!"

"_Your words are as empty as your future, I am the vanguard of your destruction, this, exchange, is over_," and with those last foreboding statement the hologram winked out of existence.

She stood for several seconds completing what the Reaper had said before making sure her helmet cam had gotten everything. When she finished confirming she had the footage the next thought that ran threw her head was that the Council was going to piss themselves when they saw this… hell everyone was probably going to piss themselves.

"Let's get the hell out of here," she finally said shouldering her rifle. She had the feeling that if her team hadn't yet been discovered then they were now.

XXX

Garrus flattened himself against the ground as an RPG detonated a few dozen meters away. Shaking the dust and dirt off his armor he returned fire towards the enemy position where the RPG had come from. Garrus's team and the salarians had knocked down the gatehouse with high explosives launched from a shoulder mounted launch system.

The plan called for them to distract the garrison enough to let Shepard in and plant the bomb. So far they'd done just that. After establishing more or less of a foothold inside the compound perimeter they bunkered down and weathered the geth assaults.

From behind the rubble that had become his cover he fired his weapon at the advancing geth. He cut down several of the machines adding them to the growing pile in the middle of the road. He shifted again and saw a krogan and put a full burst center of mass.

The krogan stumbled as the bullets pinged off its chest, but didn't fall. Garrus raised his aim a bit from the krogan's chest to the flexible rubber part that covered its neck. Pulling the trigger of his rifle he sent a burst of metal hurtling through the air which pierced the krogan's neck and sent it tumbling to the ground.

There was the ear shattering rumble as Wrex's mammoth shotgun discharged blowing three geth troopers away. Garrus shook his head trying to get the ringing out of his ears from Wrex's shotgun; it was actually more of a cannon than a shotgun.

"Kirrahe," the turian shouted over the comm loud enough to be heard over the gunfire, "how are you holding out!"

Moments later the STG captain shouted back, "_Can't hold much longer… hope Agent Shepard finishes her assignment soon_!"

"Don't worry," he said sternly, "Shepard doesn't know how to fail," he finished glancing up to the top of the artificial waterfall which followed off the top of the main lab facility. He wasn't quite sure why they wanted a waterfall and a river flowing out of the facility especially as the drainage through the compound wall was an obvious weak point.

For them however it presented a near perfect escape route. Shepard team could repel down off the roof or even jump off the roof into river below and swim their way out. He fired off his rifle before he caught a glimpse of three figures on the top of the building.

He felt his hear skip a beat as he realized that it was Shepard and her team. He breathed a sigh in relief and was about to call out to Kirrahe when he saw the middle figure on the building spasm and fall head over heels off the top.

XXX

"Williams," Shepard heard Alenko scream at the top of his lungs as the female marine fell off the edge of the building.

Cursing Shepard spun and saw some sort of aerial platform and on top of that platform was none other than Saren Arterius. Aiming down the reflex sight she fired on the platform and she must have hit something important because the platform careened out of control and crashed down in front of them and exploded.

The explosion knocked Shepard off her feet and sent Alenko, who was closer to the edge than she was, tumbling over into the river. As fast as she could Shepard rolled over with the familiar taste of her own blood in her mouth as she did and promptly rose to her knees and raised her rifle.

Saren however was up from the crash just a bit faster than her and already had his side-arm drawn on her. She saw him squeeze the trigger and the muzzle of his weapon flashed. Thankfully for Shepard either his aim was off from the crash or he didn't want to kill her because his first shot hit her rifle and not her.

Without hesitation Shepard hurled her useless rifle at the former turian Spectre and as he ducked the flying missile she launched herself at him and closed the distance before he could readjust his aim and fire again.

Leading with her shoulder she slammed into the former Spectre knocking him to the ground. The moment they hit the ground Shepard wrapped her left hand fingers around Saren right wrist and slammed it against the hard stone while she had her right forearm pinned up against his throat.

Saren released his weapon and seconds later drive his right knee hard to her left side knocking her off him. They both staggered to their feet and the ex-Spectre launched into a flurry of punishing attacks that Shepard had a hard time defending against all of them. Finally Saren did manage to breech her defenses delivered a powerful punch to her mid-section that cause her to drop to her hands and knees.

"Fuck," Shepard cursed under her breath and resisted the urge to spit out the blood that had gathered in her mouth as it would have gone only into her helmet. She closed her eyes not only from the pain of what was probably at least a single cracked rip but of a stinging sense of defeat as she waited for Saren to finish her off.

Saren moved over and retrieved his weapon but to her surprise he didn't immediately pulled a bullet in her head but instead let out a long deep chuckled "You've got spirit in you Shepard I'll give you that," he intoned wiping the blue blood that was tricking from his nose, "my geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat."

"Thanks," she mumbled pushing herself up on her knees, "have to admit it wasn't my plan," she took several deep breaths before pushing herself up solely on her knees and looking the turian in his beady little glowing eyes, "I have a question… are you stupid or just plain insane?"

"What," Saren snapped tilting his head in a way that reminded Shepard of a dog trying to hear a far off sound.

"The Reaper," she clarified in an exasperated tone undoing the seals on her helmet and pulling it off her head, "he's gonna kill everyone and you're helping him," she finished spitting blood into the crystal blue water all around her.

"You've seen the visions Shepard," Saren started with a tone in his voice that made her think we wanted… needed her to understand him, "You, of all people should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. The protheans tried and they were exterminated, but what would have happened if they'd surrendered… isn't submission preferable to extinction."

As he said that memories of Torfan and a half a dozen other raids against slavers she had been a part of swam up before her eyes. She remembered the sorry states of the slaves the batarians had taken the tortured eyes and broken minds. Was submission preferable… hell no!

She looked up a Saren with hard eyes, "Even if the Reapers would let us live I would rather die as a being with free will then die as an indoctrinated slave," she noticed how Saren filched at the word, "Sovereign's influencing you just like it did everyone else."

"No," the turian said perhaps a bit too forcefully and sudden, "I've studied the effects of indoctrination. The more control Sovereign exerts the less the less capable the subject becomes. That is my saving grace… my usefulness. Sovereign needs me to find the conduit. My mind is still my own… for now, but the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I won't let it happen to me."

With a grunt Shepard stood, "You stupid ass" she yelled at him, "I bet Matriarch Benezia thought the same thing," she took a deep breath, "my people have a saying, 'the rode to hell is paved with good intentions."

She could see her words were having an effect on the former Spectre as his hand shook and his weapon wavered. She hadn't fully convinced him but she had at least caused him to question himself. The turian sighed, his whole body sagging, "The visions… cannot be denied Shepard… this is our only hope."

"There's always hope as long as someone's willing to fight," and as she finished she hurled her helmet at his head and without waiting to see the results of her action she spun on her heels and bolted for the edge of the rooftop. As she reached the edge she dove off the edge in a near perfect dive like she had done so many times as a child at the base's pool.

However unlike the pool at the naval base there was a thunderous crack behind her and she felt a sharp pain flare up in her shoulder as she went over the edge. Shepard gave a yelp of pain as she tumbled through the air and splashed into the water.

XXX

With a snarl Saren dashed to the ledge and saw Shepard splash into the water below. The rouge Spectre raised his pistol and aimed it at the water below. His finger tensed on the trigger but he didn't pull it but instead holstered his weapon.

He thought about what Shepard had said and it resonated deeply within his soul. It wasn't true… _Sovereign_ couldn't be manipulating him he'd know about it… he'd feel it. Besides_ Sovereign_ still needed him to find the Conduit; that hadn't changed. If he proved organics were worthy then they'd survive _Sovereign_ wasn't some sadistic monster would wanted to destroy all life just for kicks.

When it came down to it _Sovereign_… the Reapers were machines and therefore governed by rules of logic that organics couldn't even begin to understand. They didn't do anything on a whim, everything has a deeper meaning. If organics could prove themselves too useful to destroy then the Reapers would realize organics value and they would survive… if only as servants.

Surely that was better than death, he mused, as the sound of metal 'boots' on stone grew rapidly in his ears. He turned and saw a platoon of Geth troopers coming up on his rear. Turing back he saw the enemy gunfire slowly cease before the Salrians and Shepard's commandos slipped back into the forest.

"_Spectre, Saren_," the lead geth said monotone, "_we've swept the facility… no intruders remain_," it glanced down over the edge, "_Shall we pursue_?"

"No," he paused, "is the lab intact," he added waiting for the trooper to respond.

"_Affirmative equipment is secure_."

That wasn't a good sign. Shepard had obviously infiltrated the facility and he had caught her on the way out. Whatever she'd wanted she had accomplished or she wouldn't have been leaving, "Evacuate the facility… now," he roared as he spun on his heels and made a b-line for the hanger bay and the geth fell in quickly behind him, "and have your platforms search the base from top to bottom."

He made it to the hanger bay in record time and boarded a geth FTL equipped transport. He had such a bad feeling about this.

XXX

Garrus glanced down at Shepard noticing the grimace of pain on her bruised face. She had her left arm wrapped around his shoulder and he had his right around her waist trying to keep some weight off the ankle she sprained in her fall. She spared another quick glance at her back. Saren's round had torn through the armor and even now a small trickled of blood leaked from her wound.

He gripped the handle of his rifle so hard he thought for sure that the plastic compound would break… either that or his bones would shatter. He was furious that Saren would lay a hand on his mate and try to kill her. Every primal instinct his body was screaming for the ex-Spectre's blood.

His boot hit the ramp of the Normandy making a metal clack as it did. He heard Shepard grunt in pain he helped her up the ramp. When they reached the top he helped her into the cargo hold and the hatched promptly closed behind them.

The cargo which had been refitted by the medical staff as an emergency medi-center for all the wounded from the battle and at the sight of the first corpsman he called, "Corpsman over here," he said and the _Normandy_ jolted; the telltale sign it was starting to take off.

The Navy medic rushed over as Garrus gingerly laid Shepard on the deck face down and said worriedly, "Gunshot wound to the right shoulder."

"It's nothing but a little scratch," Shepard hissed as the Corpsman probed the wound. Garrus watched a sickening feeling building up in his chest as the Navy medic dug his fingers into the open whole in Shepard's armor and dug about the wound, "there's got to be others worse off."

The man removed his fingers and Garrus caught a whiff of the tangy smell of Shepard's blood. It wasn't a new smell to him, but with her laying their bleeding on the floor it made his heart clench, "Is she going to be alright," he asked as calm as he could.

The ship was already filled with rumors about him and Shepard and while he personally wanted to mark her, thump his chest in pride and exclaim to the galaxy that she was his he doubted she could appreciate the gesture. He learned working at C-Sec that sexuality was a very private thing among humans.

The medic words roused him from his thoughts, "She'll be fine for now," he then pulled two hypo-sprays from his bag and handed them to Garrus, "If the pain gets too bad give her one of these. They'll numb the pain," he stood and gestured over by the wall near the aid station where several empty cots lay, "put her right there for now."

"Right," Garrus said as he helped Shepard to her feet.

"I can do this by myself," she protested but made no move to separate herself from him. He chuckled softly, he'd let her have her pride.

"I know you can I'm just worried about you to," he whispered as the crossed the room, "When Williams," he paused at the dead marine's name. While they hadn't been particularly close he considered her a true comrade in arms and they were all worse off without her, "I thought it was you," he finished his voice so soft he wasn't sure she could hear it.

To his horror she whispered back as he laid her own the medical cot and started to undo the clasps of her armor being careful not to agitate her injuries, "A part of me wished it was," she took a deep pain filled breath but Garrus wasn't sure whether it was because of her wound or William's death.

"Don't say that," he said softly as he removed the back half of her upper armor and started on the arm pieces, "I couldn't bear to lose you."

He saw the corner of her lip that was visible twitch slightly in a small smile, "I don't have a death wish or anything… it's just I'm tired of writing home to the families of sailors, soldiers and marines who've died under my command," she exhaled nosily, "Williams has three younger sisters did you know that?"

Garrus shook his head and was about to say no when Shepard's omi-tool began to be franticly from the pile of armor he had removed. Garrus titled his head, "What's that?"

Looking down he saw Shepard pink little talented tongue wet her slips before smiled again, "Williams's twenty megaton funeral pyre."

Garrus blinked before spreading his mandibles in a grin, "I think she would have like that."

"Not with a whimper… but with a bang," Shepard said and Garrus nodded not really understanding what she was quoting from but he did like the sound of it.

XXX

The Naval Yard at Terra Nova was an absolute bee's nest of frantic activity in the aftermath of the geth's surprise nuclear attack. The SSV _Enterprise_ which, other than the _Orizaba_, had been the pride of the Fifth Fleet stood ravaged by the action. The _Big-E_ herself had been towed into the massive dry-dock system where a small army of repair workers were working to replace the melted and twisted hull plates caused by the nuclear detonations.

Several smaller cruisers and frigates had been completely crippled during the attack which over all left the Fifth Fleet at about one-half of its previous strength levels. In his office onboard the _Orizaba_ Admiral Hackett waited patiently for his next "appointment" to arrive.

There was a knock on his door and Hackett called out, "Enter."

The door slid open and in walked and older man in an Alliance Naval uniform with the single star of an Alliance Rear Admiral Lower Half, "Rear Admiral Jacob Donald reporting as ordered sir," he said coming to attention and saluting.

Hackett rapped his fingers on his desk before he finally said, "Be at ease Mr. Donald."

The commander, or perhaps soon-to-be former commander, of the Terra Nova Naval Yards adopted the position of 'at-ease' and promptly found a spot on the back wall that he seemed to find extraordinarily interesting.

"Care to explain what happened," Hackett questioned the junior flag officer.

"The geth managed to catch the relay patrols off guard and wiped them out before they could get out warning," he paused, "they overwhelmed the early warning computer systems with a virus… we've managed to get all the systems back online now and we're in the process of upgrading the firewalls and anti-viral systems now."

"Why weren't the patrols reinforced after the battle in the Armstrong Cluster," the Admiral countered. He'd sent a detailed report out after the battle warning all Alliance Naval Bases about the geth incursions and capabilities.

The Rear Admiral's cheek twitched, "We're deep behind Alliance lines at the second largest Naval Base outside of Earth… didn't think," he trailed off no doubt realizing how inadequate his explanation sounded.

Wiping his hand across his face the Admiral sighed, "I want you to draw up an entirely new defensive plan for this installation and a redeployment of your assets by tomorrow morning."

For the first time the Rear Admiral looked down and him with a confused look on his face, "I'm… retaining my command?"

Hackett nodded, "For the moment at least," he confirmed, "until Alliance Command can decide whether or not they want to have you face a board of inquiry," the Fleet Admiral paused for a split second, "off the record I've looked at your jacket. You're a good officer but you tend to get complacent… fix that and I'm sure you can finish out your tour without being dismissed from service," the Fleet Admiral shifted his eyes up, "If you can't handle that than I suggest you turn in your letter of resignation and get the hell out of my sight."

"Aye… Admiral," he bit out, "with that be all sir."

"Dismissed."

XXX

Shepard stood in the comm room of the _Normandy_ with her right arm in a sling as she stood before the holographic images of the Citadel Council, "So," she started, "I take it you've gone over my hardsuit data," starring up at them as the exchanged manfully glances.

"_We have Agent Shepard_," the Asari Councilor said with a worried look on her face, "_and have found them most disturbing._"

"_Assuming it's all true," _the turian interrupted harshly, _"I find this all a little preposterous."_

Shepard nearly rolled her eyes at the councilor's remarks, "You heard Sovereign and Saren, why the hell would they make this stuff up," she took a depth breath and sighed, "Listen councilor," she said throwing a pointed look towards the asari, "Dr. T'Soni did the whole embrace eternity thing on me to get some sense of the visions. If you need conformation…," she trailed off.

"_Ilos_," the Asari said with a nod, "_yes I remember the place from the report and I don't think a mind meld will be necessary Agent Shepard_."

"Are you assembling a strike force to go to Ilos to secure the Conduit," she questioned eagerly. She still had no idea what the Conduit was but Saren had seemed almost obsessed about finding it and that was enough of a reason for her to try to keep it from him.

"_We'll explain everything in short order_," the salarian councilor said with a quick glance over at his fellow councilors, "_first we need you to come back to the Citadel."_

"Alright Shepard," the Spectre said with a curt nod, "I'll be back as soon as possible… Shepard out," and with that she killed the comm channel. After finishing with the council she turned and left the comm room and saw Garrus had been waiting outside for her.

"So…," he drawled watching her as she left.

"We're heading back to the Citadel for further orders," Shepard said.

"I've heard the Council's assembling a massive fleet at the Citadel," her turian voice with a smile in hi tone, "Sounds like they're really getting geared up to take on Saren and the geth head on."

Shepard felt a frown tug at her lips, "So you hadn't heard then," she added softly looking him straight in the eyes.

Garrus paused, "What news?"

She motioned him to walk with her down the length of the _Normandy's_ bridge toward the cockpit, "The Alliance Fifth Fleet was attacked in its berth at Terra Nova," she paused as Garrus's eyes went wide in shock, "the damage wasn't has severe as it could have been but the Alliance Fleet won't be at the Citadel when we get there."

"How long," he questioned.

"A week or two," she finally answered, "hopefully this will all be over soon. Saren arrested or killed, Reaper invasion averted and the Conduit safely in our hands."

XXX

_You have failed me again._

Saren cringed as the reaper's echoed through his head. He knew this had been coming ever since he left Virmire. He had failed _Sovereign_ and possibly doomed all organic to destruction all because he let that little vixen twist him all up with her words.

"I'm sorry," he hissed from his kneeling position, "I was weak… I let Shepard filled my head with doubt about you… about our arrangement, about our deal."

_Flesh is weak. It is a handicap of all your kind. You are creatures of base instinct and desire… weak._

"Forgive me," Saren reiterated he starred passively at his boots, "I won't fail again," he paused, "though we now have the location of the Conduit… we can begin anytime."

The voice was silent for some time before it finally returned in full force.

_You will go to Ilos; while I prepare the fleet for engagement, but what happened before cannot be allowed to repeat itself. _Before Saren could even voice the question about what the old machine meant by that it continued, _I will reshape you in the perfect blend of organic and machine. You will never again doubt._

The former Spectre hesitated. He didn't necessarily like the sound of that. He opened his mouth to say as much before he felt a pressure on his mind and suddenly couldn't remember what it was that he had been so worried about, but whatever it was he was sure Sovereign would do what was best.

XXX

**Author's Note:**

**Virmire like a couple of the other planets is designed for gameplay rather than to make sense. For one the STG's are sitting out in the open and attack the facility, the layout of which doesn't make much sense, in broad daylight.**

**Secondly, and which I think is the biggest brain fart of the entire series is that even though Shepard and her team has recording devices in their armor they never send the information to the council. Here they had proof and never used it….. WTF?**


	8. Chapter 7: The Munity and Hail Mary

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Chapter 7: The Munity and Hail Mary

Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Shepard and humanity's first and only Spectre dressed in her finest class A uniform sat in a briefing room for the Citadel Council. She was seated between two Council Intelligence Officers discussing the Spectre's investigation and hunt for Saren.

The massive rectangular table was host to thirteen beings from the three Councilors themselves to the Commander of the Combined Allied Fleet General Septimus, the head of C-Sec, the head of the Citadel Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Udina, and a bunch of other bigwigs.

The Council, of course, sat at the top of the table symbolizing their authority over everyone else in the room. From across the table they glared at her whenever they glanced up from the reports they were reading.

"I trust these reports are accurate commander," the turian councilor questioned in a tone that make her skin crawl.

"Of course they are," she bit back in righteous indignation returning his stare. Udina had accused her of the same thing once and she had taken too much offense at it. After he knew it wasn't and uncommon thing for N7s to do. The turian however had no way of knowing that, "You have the data from my hard suit to confirm it."

"Of course," the Asari Councilor, ever the diplomat and peacekeeper, responded with a calming smile on her face "considering the magnitude of the information my colleague is merely concerned on whether or not we have all the facts?"

"You have everything I had Councilors," Shepard answered honestly. She had collected every hard suit recorder from every member of her team and had even requested copies of the STG's recordings to turn into the Council.

"This is… hard to believe," the salarian director of the Citadel Intelligence Agency finally said with a touch of skepticism in his tone.

"Exactly" she said quickly capitalizing on the opening he presented, "and I believe that that is why it's true," she gestured to the Council, "as you made clear to me before this assignment Saren is a master manipulator. If he had ulterior motives he certainly would have come up with a more believable story."

"She has a point," the Intel Director agreed to her surprise, "Saren's smarter than that."

From his seat at the far end of the table the turian councilor scoffed, "Listen to yourself… a race of hyper advanced machines whose only stated goal is to wipe out organic life… that's sounds like something from a children's story."

"Jeez what stories are you reading your kids," Shepard grit out under her breath, but thankful no one heard her and the turian just kept going on.

"If something like that had actually happened there would be evidence to suggest it," he bit out, "but is there? No!"

"That's not true," Shepard snapped before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She hated politicians… she hated she hated she absolutely hated them. She opened her eyes and in a calm collected voice continued on, "the lack of evidence is evidence all in itself. For how many years have we all wondered about what happened to the protheans… for an empire that stretched across this galaxy there should be far more artifacts than we have ever found. The reapers tried to exterminate all traces of them."

"Regardless of whether or not the Reapers exist we have a monumental problem set before us," the salarian continued, "Saren with his army of geth still possesses a threat of some magnitude to Citadel Space. He must be dealt with," the councilor's head turned until he could gaze at the turian general sitting in the room, "General Septimus has agreed to lead the Fleet against Saren and I now turn the floor over to him."

The aged turian with black clan marks arranged like claw marks across his face rose from his char and slowly and with careful deliberate steps that only empathized his age moved to the front of the room.

She'd always found it hard to judge ages of turians before, but maybe because of her time spent with a Garrus she could see that this General was very, very old. Unlike Garrus his plates lacked any shine and appeared molted from the long decay of time and when he started to speak there was a rasping quality to his voice that again signaled his advanced years.

"According to the available intelligence," the old turian rumbled, "we believe that Saren will have to make a play for the Citadel if he wants any hope of attaining power," he set down a holo-projector on the table and it burst to life sowing a 3D map of the Citadel, the Fleet and the relay into the Citadel Space Zone, "I've also been in contact with heads of the Alliance, Salarian, Asari and Turian militaries and they've gone on full alert after what happened at Terra Nova," the turian said with a pointed look at Ambassador Udina.

The ambassador shifted in his seat and glared at the turian before responding, "Admiral Hackett's reported that the Fifth Fleet will be here by week's end."

The turian general then went into a detailed plan of the fleet's deployment in defense of the Citadel and possible attack vectors for a counterattack into the veil and a whole bunch of big picture strategic level stuff that was way above her pay grade.

Though throughout the general's presentation she was concerned by one thing… he hadn't mentioned anything about Ilos or the Conduit yet. Finally she cleared her throat loud enough to get everyone's attention. When she had it she started, "How many ships are you sending to Ilos?"

Silence fell over the room and Shepard could have sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees, "None," the Asari Councilor finally said to the Spectre's surprise and dismay.

"What," Shepard nearly barked jumping out of her chair as she glanced back and forth between the members of this meeting, "You can't be serious!"

"Shepard," Udina actually did bark back at her for her outburst, "That's enough!"

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists she finally sat down, "Saren specifically mentioned the Conduit when we were talking," Shepard hissed, "he seemed almost desperate about finding it. Now we have the location and you don't want to do anything about it?"

"As your report stated the only way to Ilos is through the Mu Relay," Asari said calmly once more playing peacemaker, "which lays deep in the Terminus Systems. If a Citadel Fleet enters there it's as good as a declaration of war as far as they are concerned."

The Terminus Systems was a lot like the Middle East used to be back on Earth before WWIII. In the Terminus there was constant political instability, numerous safe havens for terrorist organizations and rouge countries that refused to even have diplomatic relations with the Citadel. In the end however it was just a bunch of posturing and even if they did fight they wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.

However if the Council didn't want to ruffle any feathers she could do that, "I can get to Ilos without the Terminus even knowing I'm there if I go in with the Normandy. I can do covert," Shepard finally said in a tone that came the closest to begging, outside the bedroom, she'd ever been.

"Covert," the turian councilor chuckled, the grating sound of his laughter echoing through the room, "You detonated a nuclear weapon on Virmire Agent Shepard. I'd hardly call the 'covert,'" he finished with a set of air quotes; a surprisingly human gesture and for a second she wondered where he learned it from.

"First off," Shepard responded holding up the forefinger of her right hand, "It wasn't my idea the STG captain came up with the idea to use to the nuke, secondly…," she raised the middle finger of the same hand, "Saren couldn't be allowed to keep that facility and breed a krogan army," she took a deep breath before adding, "and a lot of salarian dies and I lost one of my team as well to do it."

"You're absolutely correct Shepard," the Salarian councilor started, "You were right to destroy the facility, but the situation on Ilos is different," he briefly glanced at his comrades before facing her again, "besides we believe that while the Reapers may be real we believe this Conduit may be a fabrication to divert our attention."

Before Shepard could protest the asari spoke up again, "Think about it Shepard if the Reapers did build the Citadel and Mass Relays then why would they be looking for an inferior Prothean weapon… assuming it is a weapon?"

It was a good point, she had to admit that councilor that small triumph, but the Spectre didn't by it. She hadn't been there in person; she hadn't seen the desperation on the renegade Spectre's face. Whatever this Conduit was Saren was treating it like the Holy Grail.

"And anyway," the Asari continued in a matter-of-fact tone breaking Shepard's concentration, "It's no longer your concern."

Shepard frowned and leaned forward placing her elbows on the table, "What isn't my concern," she question suspicion clear in her voice.

"Saren… the Reapers," the salarian responded, "this issue as moved from an investigative matter to one of pressing military concern so we're giving authority over to General Septimus until Saren is captured or killed."

"And what I'm I supposed to do," Shepard hissed feeling betrayed that not only she was losing her mission, but at the way it was being handled. After all there was such a thing as professional courtesy, "twiddle my thumbs," she continued harshly, "or maybe catch up on my celebrity gossip?"

"Of course not… we recognize the value of your abilities and our simply reassigning you to another case," the asari said gently, "we want you to investigate an extremist group called Cerberus."

Shepard blinked, "That could take the rest of my life," she knew how deep Cerberus went. They had their fingers in everything and rooting them out was going to be a near impossible task. Under normal circumstances she could have gone at it to the best of her ability, but not with everything happening now, "What about my crew?"

It was again the asari who spoke, "The Alliance personal will of course stay with the ship. Mr. Vakarian will be offered his old job back at C-Sec and Ms. Tali and the krogan," she actually paused before saying the last word as if she had a problem believing Shepard had actually let a krogan on the ship, "will be free to go their separate ways."

"Oh," it was Udina this time the interrupted the silence before Shepard could say anything esle. The human Ambassador to the Citadel continuedin one of the most blatantly insincere tones she'd ever heard, "and I'm sorry to inform you that the Normandy will be reassigned to the Fifth Fleet once they arrive."

"You're taking away my command," she said with disbelief in her voice. That little son of a bitch, she glared at Udina and to think at first she had actually like the man for the balls he had to stand up to the Council. "Is there anything else you want," she asked harshly, "my oak leaves maybe?"

Shepard had intend it as a scathing remark, but to her immense shock and even horror the little bastard sat his folded hands on the table and actually had the nerve to smile at her, "As a matter of fact yes."

"Wh-what," she croaked wide-eyed. They wanted her commission… her goddamned commission? The fact that she'd been planning to resign from the Alliance Navy didn't matter anymore. That would have been her choice, but the fact she was being forced out…?

"To prevent what might be seen as a conflict of interest the Council and I have requested," and the tone in his voice made it clear how much of a 'request' it had been, "to Alliance command that you be discharged from the navy," his lip twitched in a smile, "honorably of course."

Enough was enough. Pushing back from the table she tore the two golden oak-leaves from her dress uniform and stalked over and slammed the two brass insignia on the table in front of the ambassador, "I've had enough of this bullshit. If you need me to run errands or something," she growled sarcastically, "I'm sure you can find me."

With that she angrily stormed out of the room and through the massive double doors and back into the Council Chambers. She noticed Garrus sitting on a bench reading a local magazine when she passed by him.

Quickly he put it down and dashed to catch up with her, "I take it, it didn't go well," he ventured jokingly with a turian smile on his face.

Not bothering to stop she growled, "You have no idea," and began to vent.

XXX

In O'Malley's pub down in a predominately human part of the wards Garrus sat in a booth sipping on a turian malt liquor. He'd been the one to suggest that they come down here to get a few drinks after what had happened during the Council meeting. He felt his blood boil as he thought of them sidelining and bushwhacking her. After everything she'd done they'd yanked her off the case so fast he was sure her head was still spinning.

He lifted his head up from his drink and glanced over at Shepard who was playing a game… billiards it was called if he remembered correctly. He watched her carefully as she played against a muscular human male. Something seemed off to him as she played… it was almost like she was missing shots on purpose.

They'd swung by the Normandy so she could change out of her and into the same outfit she'd been in when he'd first met her. She was wearing her Navy jacket and jeans the latter of which hung to her in all the right places. He caught himself purring at the slight of her, before he had managed to tear his gaze away from her ass and back to the game.

He hadn't seen this game played before but the object seemed fairly obvious; to get your balls into the pocket without putting the white ball in. He watched the male sink the black ball into the pocket and then straighten up, "Nice game sweetheart," he said with a smile and did a quick check of her ass.

Shepard the pulled out her wallet and withdrew a handful of bills and set them on the table. He nearly chuckled as he saw her flash the man a smile that Garrus recognized as predatory, "Aww come on gimme to when my money back… double or nothing?"

Garrus watched as Shepard laid a few more bills on the table and could see as the man almost visbly wrested with his greed, "Alright sweetheart," he finally said lecherously as he laid down an equal number of bills, "You first baby."

He saw Shepard lean over the table to make the first shot sending the white ball into the triangle of colored balls. The balls scattered when hit and a striped one fell into the pocket. He watched as Shepard called her next shot and sunk another and did it five more times until all that was left was the black ball. She smiled and pointed, "Eight ball left corner pocket," and bouncing the white ball off the wall it connected with the black ball and it went into the pocket she had pointed at.

She straightened out and scooped her winnings off the table, "Nice game… sweetheart," Shepard shot back in a scathing tone as she walked away.

"Just a minute," the man bit out as he reached out and grabbed her hard by the arm. Garrus was about to jump out of his hair and beat the man to death, but fortunately for the guy Shepard spun and coldcocked him right across the face.

The man went down with blocked streaming from his nose as he cursed her. Shepard straightened her jacket and said, "Don't be a poor loser," and went back over and sat right down next to Garrus at the booth.

Garrus reached out his arm, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her close to him. Leaning over to whisper in her ear he asked as he moved to nuzzle her neck, "What was that about?"

He heard Shepard moan as he found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, "I guess… I don't know I just wanted to win."

The turian chuckled as he pulled back from her neck, "You really are a poor loser Kara," he laughed brushing his talons over her stomach.

She looked up at him with an annoyed look on her face but it eventually faded as she rested her head up against his chest, "I guess I am," she finished with a very slight laugh, "It just," she started a little more soberly, "after everything I'm not going to see this through and because of those… those assholes we might end up losing everything to the reapers."

"What do you want to do about it," Garrus responded in a conspiratorially tone. He received word from Executor Pallin about returning to his job with C-Sec. So far he hadn't said yes, but he hadn't said no either. He'd actually been thinking about turning down the offer and reapplying for Spectre Training; though he hadn't told Shepard yet.

During his stint in the Turian Legions he'd been approached by a Citadel represented with an offer to take a preliminary training course as a precursor to Spectre training proper. He turned them down then mainly because of his father's influence and personal distaste for the Spectres and a desire to honor his family history in C-Sec.

"There's not much we can do," she breathed sounding more defeated than he'd ever heard her before, "I lost the Normandy, my commission and am being reassigned to investigate Cerberus."

Garrus blinked at that, "Cerberus," he repeated dumbly. C-Sec's anti-terrorism department had devoted more than half its total recourses to investigate Cerberus and had been doing so for almost ten years without much success. What were they expecting her to do that a thousand men devoting millions of man hours couldn't.

"Yeah," she scoffed, "I wouldn't even know where to start. Though I guess I'm going to have to an apartment here or something."

Garrus cleared his throat and tighten his hold on her waist, "You're more than welcome to stay with me Shepard," he whispered nuzzling her neck again, "for as long as you want Kara."

He could feel her swallow, a feature he come to recognize as meaning she was nervous, "You want me to move in with you," Garrus nodded a hint of worry entering his heart before she smiled, "thanks I'd like that a lot," she whispered before pulling out a few bills from her wallet and laid them on the table, "let's get out of here."

XXX

Garrus's apartment was nice… a little small but nice and homey. Shepard turned to face her lover, "Thanks for letting me stay here Garrus I really appreciate it," she said and kissed his cheek.

The turian dropped her bags on the floor of his apartment, "You don't have to thank me Kara," she saw him pause and take a deep breath before he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Titling her head to allow him better access to her neck she moaned as he again found a sensitive spot on her neck, "I know," she whispered back her heart pinging with an emotion she was hesitate to name, "I know," she repeated as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He pulled back and they starred at one another in a way Shepard would have called cheesy before she and him had got together. Pulling his neck down she planted a kiss on his mouth as her hands massaged the softer unarmored part of the back of his neck and his fringe.

She felt his hands drip south to cup her behind as she ground herself against him, "Kara," he whispered huskily as Shepard felt her heat pool south of the border.

Releasing his neck she began to fumble with his belt when embarrassingly from out of the blue her stomach rumbled. The both froze, Shepard from embarrassment and Garrus titled his head in an inquisitive manner, "What was that," he asked quickly.

"Nothing," Shepard said just as quickly internally cursing her fair skin from being unable to conceal a blush.

Garrus's eyes narrowed and he repeated himself a little more sternly this time, "You're body made a noise… what was it?"

Shepard tried to stare him down but found she couldn't hold out do to a combination of her stomach rumbling again and her amusement at his small display of dominance. The former N7 and Alliance Commander rolled her eyes in an almost childish manner, "It means I'm hungry, dummy," she joked.

"Ohh," Garrus said wide-eyed as he broke contact with her and moved to adjust his pants, "I'll be right back," and he headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Shepard opened her mouth to state the obvious but closed it as she decided she wouldn't spare him this small embarrassment. After all he deserved it for his actions just a few seconds ago. She smiled as she heard the telltale sound of a refrigerator opening only to be slammed shut a moment latter. Seconds after the sound he emerged for the kitchen, "I don't have anything you can eat," he said grumpily.

A slight chuckle escaped her lips despite the warning in his eye as she said down on the couch, "We can order in," she said glancing around for the remote control for the holovision set on the wall, "come on it'll be out first real date."

Slowly the turian bobbed his head, "What do you want?"

She quickly named her favorite pizza type, stuff crust with pepperoni and bacon, and Garrus nodded repeating the order before nuzzling her neck one last time and heading off to the kitchen to the extranet terminal to place the order.

As he was in the kitchen Shepard glanced around the room for the remote and found it stuffed between one of the couch's cushions. She sat down one the couch and started flipping through the Guide looking for something interesting to watch.

The next thing she began aware of was the dip in the couch as her lover sat down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and she relaxed into his embrace. She glanced up at time, "How long," she asked.

He titled his head, "Thirty minutes give or take."

A naughty though passed through her head and she let her hand slip down to his crotch, "Plenty of time," she whispered seductively as she ran her nails over him.

XXX

"_You have reached your destination," _the overly cheerful voice cooed as Kai Leng, a former N7 officer who had been dishonorably discharged after a courts martial after killing a Korgan in a bar fight with only a K-Bar. He'd been prepared to rot for twenty years when Cerberus had "arranged" for his release and entrance into their service. Now he served as the personal hitman for the head wily and mysterious head of Cerberus itself.

He briefly checked the address Cerberus had provided for him with the number of the building to confirm he was at the right spot. When he was satisfied he was in the right place he shut down the engine and pulled the briefcase that was sitting on the passenger seat into his lap.

Pressing his thumbs against the bio-scanners on the briefcase lock he waited for case to open. After a few seconds it beeped and Leng pulled the cover back. Lying inside the box was a Heckler and Koch M95 pistol, a single ammo block, a single heat sink and a pair of black leather gloves. The M95 was a small and compact weapon with a built in internal silencer. It had been designed in special cooperation with the Alliance Intelligence service for their covert operatives. That said it was highly illegal for any private person to own one.

He first pulled on the black leather gloves before removing the pistol and then loading the ammo block and heat sink. He took his hand and slipped it into his jacket and against the opposite side of his chest right below his armpit. Now ready he opened the car door with his free hand and moved out into the street.

With a slow and confined gait he moved through the sliding door to the entrance of the apartment complex. The moment he entered he kept his head down and out of the zones of the cameras so they could catch a glimpse of his face.

"Can I help you," a voice came from behind a counter along the eastern wall.

Leng moved up to the counter where a young asari smiled at him. With his free hand Leg fished a ID out of his pocked that labeled him a C-Sec detective named Dick Tracy. Leng smiled as the Asari evaluated the ID, but the smile had nothing with being friendly, but with the name on the ID. The Illusive Man did have a strange sense of humor at times.

"Yes," he finally said, "I'm looking for a friend of mine named Garrus Vakarian."

The alien nodded, "Yeah he's in apartment 23-A" a seductive smile touched her lip as she leaned forward, "he brought a woman home with him… a human woman," she revealed conspiratorially.

While disgust churned in the assassins stomach he outwardly put on a face of shock, "Really," he whispered back before smiling and with a shake of his head added, "Why Garrus you old hound dog," he chuckled like he knew the turian and took his ID back.

The asari giggled and as he turned and started toward the elevator. So far so good, the assassin mused internally. He had been fully prepared to kill the asari and would have done it without a second thought morality wise but with only concern for the mission.

The elevator trip only lasted about a minute and when the doors opened the Cerberus agent stepped off and onto the floor. He took a brief glance at the numbers on the wall and headed toward the turian's apartment. He didn't need the secretary at the desk to tell him as Cerberus had obviously supplied the intelligence.

Leng spared a glance up and down the hall before removing the pistol from his sports jacket and held it tight up against his body, but pointed at the door. Reaching out with his free hand he rapped three times on the door and waited.

Seconds later the door swung in revealing Detective Garrus Vakarian wearing nothing but his pants, "How much…," the turian started but trailed out as he saw the ex-N7 Commando holding a gun on him.

"Speak and you're dead," he whispered harshly as he saw the turian tense, "now raise your harms and back up slowly."

The turian glared hotly for a moment and if looks could kill Leng would be a smoking pile of ash. Eventually the turian nodded and slowly back up. As he did Leng heard a feminine voice, one he recognized as belonging to Kathryn Shepard said, "Garrus what's up?"

As he cleared the hall and stepped into the living room he turian to face the Spectre with a sadistic grin on his face, "Hey Shep long time no see."

Shepard who was wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, and from what Leng could tell from the state of the scattered clothes around the room that seemed to be all she was wearing, frowned as she sat up and used the blanket to conceal her modestly… what was left of it.

"Leng…," she said with a question tone before repeating firmer and more confidently, "Kai Leng… I'll be damned," she spat with disgust in her tone, "I was so hopping you were dead?"

The Cerberus operative shrugged carefully to never left his pistol waver from the enraged turian, "So friendly that one ehh," he said directing his comment to the turian, "careful with her turian she's dangerous."

The turian looked ready to try and gut him right there with his claws, "How do you know Kara," he growled sounding a lot like a hound protecting its mate.

"Kara," he empathized Shepard's little nickname, "and I were in the same class together in Hades. She was my battle buddy," he said using the term the military for two military personal who were assigned to help each other in and out of combat. He paused before bringing up what was sure to be a sore topic, "Jeeze Shepard with me, Donald and you old team gone over to Cerberus don't have a very good track record in regards to your old companions."

It was a remark designed to push her buttons and from the brief flash of murderous rage that passed across her face he guessed he was successful. However as quick as it had appeared on her face it vanished and she said dryly, "If you're going to kill us just get it over with already and spare us the insults."

Leng gestured with his free hand for Garrus to move back and sit down on the couch. The turian did so with only minimal fuss and sat down next to Shepard, "Don't worry Shepard," he said still keeping his weapon trained on her. Despite being a good ten meters away and completely naked he wasn't going to underestimate her, "I'm not here to kill you… either of you."

He said that even though in earnest he would like to do nothing else. In his eyes Shepard was tainted; not only by the filthy creature she let inside her but her mere title as a Spectre. She had sold herself… whored herself to the Council to do its bidding even at the expense of humanity.

He managed to wrest himself from his thoughts to see Shepard arch her eyebrow in a look he knew well, "So what you… an escape convict and terrorist working for a extremist group… just decided to drop in for a visit?"

"Don't be thick Shepard," the ex-N7 snapped, "It doesn't suit you. I'm here because of the Conduit and before you deny it Cerberus already knows about Saren the Reapers and the Conduit."

He could see as a muscle in Shepard's jaw twitched which was just about all the emotion she revealed, "Alright then what do you want?"

"For you to stop Saren and find the Conduit," he said dropping the bomb shell on the pair, "Cerberus has managed to put a plan into action that should get you off the Citadel so you can go do your super commando thing."

"If you think I'm gonna work for Cerberus," she growled in a low menacing voice.

"We're not stupid Shepard," he snapped again, "we know you've refused an offer in the past. We want you to succeed and to that end we've arranged for the Normandy's crew to be forced to remain on ship for the next forty-eight hours. We also managed to hack Udina's terminal and planted a Trojan program that will allow us to create a falsified launch order for the Normandy."

"So," Shepard drawled her eyes hard, "it's either risk the genocide of all life or work with Cerberus," she paused and glanced at Garrus, "some choice."

"Now if you're finished whoring around with your turian," he snarled aimed a particularly vicious comment at Shepard, "perhaps you could close those legs of yours get back to defeating Saren and Sovereign?"

As he spat the words he notice the turian had inched his way closer and closer to her in a vain effort to protect her. In would have been a heartwarming gesture if the thought of them together wasn't so revolting.

"Yeah," Shepard said glaring at him and he nearly shivered at the death he saw in her eyes, "but as soon as I'm done with the Reapers I'm coming for you… and you're damned 'Illusive Man'," as she spoke he would have sworn on a stack of Bibles at the room temperature dropped a few degrees, "and I will kill both of you."

Leng shrugged attempting to dismiss her threat, but failed to keep the slight tremor out of his voice as he countered, "Don't make threats you can't keep," but even as he said it he knew he was dead wrong. Shepard never made ideal threats, she made promises of vengeance.

He stood keeping his gun trained on her, "Move fast Shepard the window of opportunity closes tomorrow at Oh-nine-Thirty. After that they're sure to discover our Trojan and any chance you had of stopping the damn apocalypse with die along with all of us."

"I'll consider it," Shepard said coolly as if she still had a choice in the matter.

That's all the Illusive Man asks," he said as he slowly back pedaled, "to give Cerberus a chance," and with that he pulled a two PlastiCuffs and tossed them towards them.

Shepard glanced down at the pair of cuffs and then back up at him with a pointed glare.

He gave her his smuggest smile, "Handcuff yourself together at the wrist and ankle," he commanded and this time he got a double glare. Eventually Vakarian bent down at the waist and took the cuffs in his claws. He gave one last defiant glare before he slid his right foot into the cuff and Shepard did the same with her left. They then slipped their hands into the plastic rings and at his insistence pulled them tight.

He was under no illusion that the cuffs would hold either of them for long, but it was just enough time for him to make his withdrawal, "Goodbye Shepard," he chuckled throwing her a mock salute and speedily made an exit.

XXX

In his office in the Alliance Embassy Captain David Anderson sat reading a transcript of the Council meeting. As the Ambassador's military attaché he was privy to all the classified information the Ambassador was, but didn't rate high enough to actually attend their meetings.

He felt the urge to slam his fist down against the desk as he read transcript. The Council was railroading Shepard because she had discovered something they didn't want to believe. He exhaled and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. He didn't consider Shepard a friend… the only time he'd ever meet her before the _Normandy_ assignment was on his rotation to the Hades Training Facility when she'd been a N7 trainee.

What he did realize was the Shepard by virtue of her position as the first human made her important both militarily and politically and her dismissal by the Council was tantamount to a dismissal of humanity itself.

As the old saying went 'out of the pot and into the fire,' Anderson mused as he leaned back in his unfamiliar, but very comfortable leather chair. He closed his eyes for half a second and realized he must have dozed off because the next thing he was aware of was his office door slamming open and Shepard striding in.

"Sir I'm sorry," one of the marine guards apologized, "Agent Shepard was determined to see you," she finished with a tone in his voice that said he would toss her out on her ass if he gave the order.

"It's fine corporal," Anderson replied waving the marine off, "you're dismissed."

Once the marine left, closing the door behind him, Shepard took a seat and leaned forward placing her elbows on the table, "We have a problem sir."

Anderson sighed, "I heard about the Council meeting Shepard. Unfortunately the Council's spoken and there is nothing we can do about."

A emotion he couldn't quite classify flashed across the Spectre's face before said, "That's only a part of what I want to talk about."

The captain titled his head, "What's the other part," he asked curiously as he conspiratorially leaned forward.

"Does the name Leng mean anything to you," Shepard asked carefully sidestepping his question by asking another question.

Anderson frowned… the name did sound familiar. He rapped his fingers on his desk as he rifled through his memories, "Kia Leng," Anderson repeated and Shepard nodded. He did remember the N7 turned murderer turned Cerberus terrorist as stain on the honor of the N7 program, "What about him?"

Shepard hissed and said, "He came to visit," she added air quotes, "me and Garrus a few hours ago."

His eyes going wide he looked quickly up and down her form looking for injuries. Cerberus wasn't awfully merciful with those it considered collaborators and given that Shepard was sleeping with a turian and was a Spectre.

But still sending an assassin to off or bully a Spectre was one hell of a ballsy move… even for Cerberus. The Spectres were the symbolic and in some way literal strong-arm of the Council. An assault on one was like boxing the ears on a grizzly bear.

"I'm fine," Shepard confirmed, "he wasn't there to fight… he came with an offer," she admitted a little bit hesitantly.

Anderson felt his hackles rise, "He tried to recruit you," he asked almost flabbergasted. It wasn't beyond the realm of belief for Cerberus to want a Spectre in their camp, but Shepard wasn't exactly a poster child for pro-human extremism; plus she had previously killed two Cerberus agents when they had tried to recruit her.

"No," she answered determinedly. She paused and licked her lips and it was one of the first times Anderson had ever seen a nervous gesture from her, "somehow Cerberus has found out about Saren, Sovereign, Ilos and this whole damn mess. I have no idea how but they have."

"Damn," the Captain cursed, "the Ambassador's not going to be happy knowing there's a leak in his embassy. Plus if the Council found out that some human had leaked classified information they'd have a conniption, "so what does Cerberus want?"

Shepard ran her hand through her hair and leaned back in her seat, "The same thing we want… to stop Saren and the Reapers," she paused, "they've managed to create a false launch order for the Normandy and somehow managed to keep the crew onboard."

Anderson pinched the bridge of the nose as everything seemed to fall into place. The order had come down from Fleet Com for the all crewmembers of the _Normandy _to remain onboard wand conduct a full system evaluation and diagnostic. It hadn't made sense to him at the time and all his inquiries to command had turned up nothing.

"We need to go to Udina and the Council with this," Anderson ground out even though it was the last thing he actually wanted to do.

"No," Shepard said forcibly, "As much as I hate to say it Cerberus is right. We need to stop Saren and need to get to Ilos to do that whatever the Council may think!"

Anderson took a deep breath before asking in a low tone, "You do realize what your suggesting could be viewed as treason… going against a direct order of the Council."

A small smile touched the Spectre's lips, "Cerberus seemed pretty interested in Ilos and sense I've been given the task of hunting down Cerberus…," she trailed off her arms open.

"That's stretching your authority Shepard," Anderson said deadpan before a small smile touched his lips, "though knowing you you might be able pull," he paused, "what do you want from me?"

"I'm not that worried about myself," she admitted, "if we win I expect a medal and an apology," she said with a smile before that smile faded, "if we fail then I expect everyone will be dead. I just want someone to know what I'm going and why."

"I don't expect I can persuade you from doing this," Anderson asked in the tone of a man who already knew the answer to his question.

"No," she said with a shake of her head.

"Then Godspeed Shepard."

XXX

Garrus piloted Tali, Wrex and Liara which consisted of the entire non-human compliment of the _Normandy_ through the skies of the Citadel towards the Alliance docking bays. After that Cerberus agent had dropped in on them Shepard had, however grudgingly, agreed that he was right and they had to get to Ilos and stop Saren.

To that extent Shepard had asked him to find the rest of their teammates and get them back on the Normandy. Cerberus had also been kind enough to put him, Tali, Wrex and Liara back upon the approved entrance list for the Alliance Docks and the _Normandy_ itself.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," Tali whispered from her position next to Liara in the middle of their little formation.

"Don't worry," Garrus said half-jokingly half not, "Your father's on the Quarian Admiralty Board I'm sure he won't let his little girl go to prison if things go wrong."

Tali snorted in laughter, "Ahh ship theft is considered a treasonable offense among my people. If my father found out about this he just wouldn't let it happen he'd order it."

"Your own father would order you execution," Liara said aghast and Garrus chuckled at her tone. He knew the quarian was joking, but apparently the good doctor was still a little too literal.

"I was joking Liara," Tali said patting the asari doctor on the back.

"Oh," the asari countered as she blushed purple.

As they conversion in the back on the air car continued Garrus maneuvered the vehicle up to the checkpoint to the naval yard. Garrus had to force himself to breathe as the car shuttled slight as a pinning beam held it in placed and saw as the automated defenses trained themselves on the car.

Garrus rolled down his window as a marine military police officer strolled up while his two buddies hung about ten meters in front and three meters to either side of the air car. The marine came up next to the window and questioned, "What are you here for… sir?"

"We're meeting up with the Normandy," Garrus answered holding out his ID and the IDs of his team for the MP to take. The marine did a quick visual check of the ID's and their owners before checling them against the database for people allowed on the base.

Garrus forced himself to take a deep breath and he knew that if Cerberus's … he still couldn't believe that they were working with Cerberus… infiltration program wasn't as good as they claimed then he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

A few moments later the marine came back and handed him the IDs, "You're all good sir the Normandy's in docking bay six berth four."

"Thank you marine," Garrus said as he forced any sign of the relief he was feeling from his voice as the marine backed away and he put the vehicle into gear and took off into the Naval Yard. He flew the air car through the yard and past several Alliance warships that were docked.

The Alliance 5th Fleet under Admiral Hackett had yet to arrive, but there were always a few Alliance ships docked at the Citadel for some reason or another. Most of the ships in dock were smaller frigates and a few cruisers and of course the _Normandy_.

XXX

"Agent Shepard, Agent Shepard," a woman's voice called out from in front of her as she exited the tram system that exited near the Alliance Dock Yard.

The Spectre turned to face the woman and swore under her breath. This was the last thing she needed she thought as she recognized the woman as Khalisah al-Jilani a fairly famous reporter with Westerlund News. She had a show on the channel but Shepard couldn't think of what it was called.

"Agent Shepard," the reporter said again as she closed within a meter of Shepard, "I'm Khalisah al-Jilani. Would you care to answer a few questions for are viewers?"

"Listen I'm in a hurry," Shepard said bluntly trying to get away from the reporter as the woman chased her with the little floating camera thing.

The woman moved around in front of her shouting, "Shepard you're humanities first Spectre and a big news item… the people want to know about you!"

As far as Shepard was concerned the "people" could shove it. As an N7 she had been a ghost, everything she did and went was classified. The Alliance was very secretive about all activates in regards to their special forces groups. When she became a Spectre the only thing that had been released regarding her was her name, rank, picture and that she was an N7.

She quickly glanced at her chrono and cursed again. She didn't need the reporter making a scene and attracting attention while she was so close to the base, "Fine," she growled, "shoot."

The reporter smiled and barked a few words to her camera drone, "Now Agent if you'll please scoot over a little to the left so we can get the Navy Yard in the back ground…"

Shepard rolled her eyes as she took a few steps to the left, "Good?"

"Very," the reporter answered before clearing her throat, "3…2…1… Go," she said for the camera, "I'm here with Agent Shepard of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. The very first human Spectre and former member of the Alliances N7 Special Forces program," she smiled and the camera panned towards Shepard, "Humanity has been trying to earn the respect of the galactic community for twenty-six years. With that in mind how do you feel about being the first human Spectre?"

She could have said she hated it. She could have said that she never like the idea of the Spectres as an organization. She could have said she cursed out her captain after he told her, but instead she said, "It was an honor. The Spectres are an elite group and not just anyone can get into their ranks."

Al-Jilani nodded before continuing, "Some have considered your appointment is the Citadel 'throwing humanity a bone.' What do you have to say to that?"

She hated to say it but the bitchy reporter had a point. That more or less what she always thought about the Council's decision. The Alliance, in terms of pure tonnage, had the second largest fleet in the known galaxy. However she doubted the Council be happy if she said that on inter-stellar television… what the fuck she thought, "It's possible" she admitted with a slight smile.

The woman looked surprised at Shepard's answer, but nonetheless continued on, "From what I've been able to collect you've been given command of an advanced human vessel for your mission. What can I tell us about this?"

Reporters… Shepard internally hissed. The Alliance should round them all up and gang-press them into Alliance Intel. The SSV _Normandy_ was the most advanced ship in the fleet. She wasn't sure how much she should say but she could had least inform of a couple things, "The Normandy was actually co-designed by the Turian Starfleet and many of her innovations are still highly classified."

The reporter nodded again, "Speaking of turians. What do say to rumors that you're currently engaged in a romantic relationship with one?"

Shepard bit the inside of her cheek to control her expression, "I'm sorry are you insinuating something," she questions aching her eyebrow in way that radiated innocence.

The reporter looked a little miffed by the fact that Shepard kept a straight face, "I said there were rumors about-,"by she didn't get to finish as Shepard cut her off.

"Even if I was it's none of your business who I'm 'romantically involved," by chance she glanced up at the base and saw a very familiar looking air car. So Garrus was on schedule that was very good. Now all she had to do was get out of this interview and fortunately for her the reporter had given her a perfect opportunity. She let a disapproving look slide onto her face and made a show of straightening her leather jacket, "I thought this was going to be a professional interview, but apparently you can't handle that," and ignoring the reporter's protests she headed off towards the _Normandy_.

XXX

Almost about an hour after Shepard had left his office Anderson found himself in the ambassador's office as Udina went over the latest reports from Admiral Hackett. The Fifth had repeated all its repairs and were conducting final preparations to get under way.

"Excuse me Ambassador," one of the ambassadorial aides said as she entered the room, "I thought you might want to know that the Normandy just entered the relay."

The ambassador didn't look up from his datapad, "Yes, yes thank-," all of a sudden he froze and jerked his head up, "wait…what," he shouted at the aide.

The young woman's eyes went wide, "Uhh… sir the Normandy took off about thirty minutes ago under your personal authority," she stammered looking back between him and the ambassador.

"No," he shouted, "the Normandy was supposed to be on lockdown until the Fifth Fleet," he paused and slammed his fist down on his desk, "damn that Shepard," before turning his fiery gaze on Anderson, "so help me God if you knew anything about this Captain!"

Before answering Anderson turned to the aide and made a shooing gesture. The aide gave him a thankful look and slipped out the door closing it behind her, "Yes I did," he answered and braced himself for the inevitable shit-storm.

Udina did not disappoint launching into a triad calling him almost every name Anderson had heard of and a few he hadn't. When the ambassador finally finished telling him that his career was over and he was going to jail he asked, "Would you care to explain yourself Captain?"

"Yes," Anderson said, "I would. I believe that the Council made a mistake and so did Shepard. That's why she took the Normandy."

"That doesn't excuse her actions," Udina snarled at him.

"No it doesn't," Anderson admitted, "but at this point you have everything to gain and nothing to lose," he countered.

"Explain!"

Anderson sighed and crossed his arm, "If Shepard his wrong and the Conduit isn't real then she and I are mutineers and you can arrest me and have her disbarred from the Spectres and arrested if you want. You won't lose any face we both were Special Forces after all and this is the kind of stuff we're used to doing," he paused for a second before adding, "If Shepard's right then not only does she save us all from death at the hands of the reapers, but you get to look like a hero with the wisdom to send Shepard to do what needed to be done even against orders. Plus the Normandy's a stealthship she won't do much good in a pitched battle."

Udina looked thoughtful for a second seemingly intrigued at the offer and began to pace along the window at the back of his office overlooking the Presidium. After several seconds he turned back and pointed a finger at him, "Fine, but just so we're clear I won't take any of the blame for this Anderson."

"I would never suggest it Ambassador."

XXX

It had been nearly three hours since the _Normandy_ had left the Citadel and made it through the Mass Relay. Once through the Citadel Relay which dumped them out near the Omega station in the Sahranarik system. From there it was a five hour journey to the Mu Relay and another two from the relay in the Pangaea Expanse to Ilos.

In the Normandy's armory Shepard and Garrus sat at a table with their weapons disassembled for maintenance and cleaning. Reaching out Shepard grabbed the bolt of her rifle and began to clean the grime off it from previous use.

"So… how many of the crew know what's really going on," Garrus questioned as he dug the grime from his sniper rifle's chamber with his talon before grabbing a rag to clean the rest.

Before answering Shepard squirted some gun lube into the barrel before taking her rag and wiping down the breech, "Apart from the team only Pressly, Moreau, Dr. Chackwas and Engineer Adams… the senior personal," she finally said.

Garrus put the rifle down on the table and looked hard at her, "Are you sure that's a good idea Kara… I mean all do you want to keep this quiet?"

Putting the pieces of her weapon on the table she ran her hand over her face and looked up at him with a tired expression, "Is not that I don't trust them Garrus," she explained patiently, "if by some off chance we're wrong I don't want this to ruins their careers," she took a deep breath, "so if this goes south than Anderson and I are the only ones going to jail."

She glanced up at him and noticed that he had a turian smile on his face. Shepard frowned at his expression and felt anger boil up in her chest, "You think me spending fifty to life in Fort Leavenworth is funny?"

Garrus waved her off chuckling as he did and attempted to regain his composure, "I'm sorry Kara," he said, "it's just you've got grease all over your face."

Shepard looked down at her hand and noticed that it did have grease on it. She started laughing and as she did she felt he worries drift away. They both sat their laughing for a good two or three minutes before Garrus picked of a clean rag and moved beside her and carefully wipe the smudges from her face.

"I've been with you every step of the way Kara," he said wrapping his arms around his waist, "I've seen the same things you have and I believe that you're right."

She rested her head on his chest, "Thank you," she whispered softly and they remained in that position for several seconds before Garrus pulled away.

She was confused for a second before he knelt down in front of her and took her hand in his, "Kara you know how much I care about you and I know you feel the same way about me," he trailed off for a second and Shepard felt her heart clench as he did, "would you be my mate?"

Shepard blinked once, then twice. Garrus was a hell of a lot of fun to be with and she cared about him more than anyone for a long, long time. But could she be his mate… his wife. She remembered the last time she walked down the aisle and it had turned out well at all. But this was Garrus and he loved her there was no doubt in her mind about that. The only question left to her was did she love him? After a bit of searching she found that she did.

A genuine smile touched her lips and she said, "Why the hell not."

XXX

On a Geth transport Saren Arterius paced in the cargo bay alongside two hundred and twenty-five geth troopers, a full company's worth, on their way down to the surface of Ilos. The ex-Spectre paced up and down the cargo hold relentlessly. The cargo hold was silent except for the sound of his footsteps, the roar of the engines, and the whine of two hundred twenty-five geth heads following his every move.

His patience worn he spun on them, "Stop that," he roared and immediately in impeccable precision they all snapped their heads forward in unison. This was it, he mused. The beginning of the end for the galaxy as it was. With the next two days the invasion would begin and this would be over.

He glanced down at his hands. His left hand and the entire arm was synthetic, it was actually a geth arm that had replaced his real one after it'd been damaged in a firefight. His right hand was still flesh and blood… at least on the surface. Underneath the skin grafted to bone and muscle was all kind of cybernetics. He ran one of his talons along where the surgical scar would be that ran along the underside of his arm up onto his shoulder and over to his chest.

The cybernetics not only ran through his arm but his entire body as well. These upgrades at been insisted upon by Sovereign and at the time he had agreed whole heartedly with the Reaper. Hihu

He had beenHe had been outwitted by Shepard on Virmire; he had allowed the weakness of flesh to dissuade him from his duty. It would never happen again.

These upgrades would allow him preform his duty more efficiently. He's stronger, faster and smarter than he had even been before. Nothing would stop him from his objectives. Suddenly he looked down and found his right hand shaking.

The shuttle shook and Saren recognized it as the transport coming in for a landing. The shaking continued for almost two minutes before the transport rocked one last time before becoming still. A loud groaning noise issue forth from the middle of the bay as the ramp lowered.

When the ramp hit the ground the geth troopers began to stream down the ramp to secure the area around the transport. After the last geth exited the ship Saren followed them down off the ship. An odd feeling shot through him as his boot hit the stone ground that the shuttle had come to rest on.

A detailed scan from the geth crusier he had arrived on had managed to map a huge subterranean structure. Scans had also revealed what the geth had come to believe was an entrance at these coordinates.

He glanced around the courtyard and felt as if his steps had desecrated something scared or holy. The courtyard was filled with statues that to him bordered on grotesque. Finally he turned to the large slab of stone in front of him with a diagonal cut bisecting the rock. The face of the slab was cover in reliefs and beautiful carvings.

That was the entrance and there was no doubt about it. Saren glanced over at the geth that was designated by a red stripe running across its chest to be his aide and said, "We need to geth through this and into the facility."

"_Affirmative_," the geth nodded bobbing his head up and down, "_I'll send patrols out to look for another way in_."

"If that doesn't work" Saren continued still gazing at the massive gate, "we'll need to blow our way in… prepare the explosives."

"_By your command_," the geth intone before emitting a serious of high pitched tones to transfer binary data to the other geth.

No, Saren mused internally noticing. It wasn't by his command at all. It was by Sovereigns command it always was and always will be. He glanced down one last time and found that his hand was still shaking. He bit off a brief curse in response and forcibly restrained his hand with the other. He glanced upwards toward the heavens and whispered, "Spirits forgive me for what I am about to do."

**XXX**

**I know I changed the bit with how they stole the Normandy but I thought this was a little more believable and it helps me set up something in the sequel I'm planning to write. I had Shepard have her commission taken away because it makes sense. Having Shepard as both an Alliance Military Officer and an Agent for the Council is a conflict of interest that most governments would want to avoid.**

**Also I'm going to say it now that the Normandy isn't going to be in the Battle for the Citadel. When you think about it it took the Normandy at the very least a day to get to Ilos. I always wondered how it managed to get back to the Fifth Fleet which is at the Alliance capital, in the game, in the time it takes you to run to the Conduit, go through it, land in the Citadel and make your way to the Council Chambers. **


	9. Chapter 8: Judgment Day

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

_"Woe to you, Oh Earth and Sea, _

_for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, _

_because he knows the time is short..._

_-_The Book of Revelation

Chapter 8: Judgment Day

Near the Tera Nova Mass Relay the Alliance 5fth Fleet hung silently in all its deadly beauty. The full might the Alliance's most elite fleet was assembled and rearing for some payback against the geth who'd embarrassed them at their own Naval Base.

On the bride of his flagship Admiral Hackett a stood starring out the window at the massive blue-silver object was the Terra Nova Mass Relay. He spared a brief glance over his shoulder, "How much longer till we get underway captain?"

The _Orizaba_'s captain Otto Strasbourg glanced up from where he had been working with the navigation officer. He glanced back down and spoke with the officer before looking back up, "We're just about to initiate handshake protocols with the relay, Admiral."

"Very good captain proceed," he said as he turned back to gaze out the window. He glanced around the window naming each of the ships he saw in the formation… an old trick to calm the nerves and pass the time. In the background he heard the navigation officer run through the pre-jump checklist.

"Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector," the nav officer said the familiar words, "All Stations secure for transit in T-minus ten seconds."

The Admiral watched as the mission clock counted down and as it approached the launch window he reached out and grabbed hold of the railing just in case of any tremors. He waited and when the countdown timer hit zero… nothing happened.

Hackett spun, "Captain report," in all of his military service he'd never had as much of a problem as getting this damn fleet to the Citadel.

The captain turned to the navigator and helmsmen who were franticly trying to figure out what the hell had gone wrong but didn't seem to have any answers. The bridge crewed scrambled around all of them seeking an answer to the problem of why they were still here.

Finally one of the officers called out, "Admiral whatever the problem is it isn't on our end."

"I agree," the captain added after a few seconds, "it has to be a problem with the relay… we're trying to reestablish contact."

Hackett made his way to the sensor's station to look at the man's console and he if he could make heads or tails of what was going on. The console's operator pushed away from the station so the Admiral could get a better look.

"I have no idea what's wrong Admiral," the young officer said rubbing his eyes, "It's like it's just not responding anymore," the officer huffed, "it's like it's locked down or something."

"Can they do that," Strasbourg questioned, "I didn't know it was possible to lock down a relay."

"It might be for us," Hackett said warily. As far as he knew there was only one possible group in the galaxy that might be capable of manipulating the Mass Relays… the Reapers. He'd read the Shepard's report cover to cover and found the information very troubling to say the least. He straightened up ramrod straight as a horrid feeling of worry curled in his stomach, "Get me a comm to the Citadel," the crew turned to look at him, "Now!"

The comm officer went to work franticly typing at the keys at his terminal, "Nothing," he said bleakly looking up at the Admiral, "nothing but static."

The sense of worry in his stomach blossomed into full blown dread. That could only mean one thing. Someone was attacking the Citadel and all he could do was sit here on his hands and do nothing.

XXX

The 9th Citadel Fleet Patrol group was comprised of three cruisers and six destroyers belonging to the salarians and asari. It was one of twelve patrols assigned to cover the four corridors where ships could enter the Citadel Station Security Zone. Because of unique composition of the particles in the Serpent Nebula surrounding the Citadel these four corridors were the only way in or out. As a result they were all heavily patrolled.

The defensive strategy of General Septimus was to allow Saren to enter the Security Zone and then once their direction of attack was determined the bulk of the Citadel Fleet could be deployed to counter them. Septimus would rely on the might of his dreadnaughts and the Citadel own defenses to carry the day.

Even without the fleet the Citadel was still the most heavily defended position in the galaxy. The station was dotted with weapon emplacements and if worst came to worst the station's "arms" could close creating an impervious shell to protect itself.

Ever since Shepard had reported back the Fleet had been on its highest threat readiness alert. They were ready for anything… or so they believed.

In less than an instant their calm was shattered as the geth fleet erupted like a stampede of angry bulls from the "galactic southwest" corridor. The first geth units to emerge from FTL were their frigate and fast attack ship analogues. Those ships swarmed the ninth patrol and wiped them out to the last ship in a wave of fire and steel. The remaining patrols at the "southwest" corridor attempted to regroup but were cut down without any mercy.

Near the Citadel the turian, salarian and asari dreadnaughts and cruisers fired their maneuvering thrusters and main engines to take up a position around Septimus's flagship, the powerful dreadnaught _Legatus. _

While not the most powerful ship in the fleet, that honor belonged to the massive _Destiny Ascension_, the _Legatus_ was the pride of the turian fleet and had been his command for close to twenty years. The _Destiny Ascension_ would be kept in reserve as the personal evacuation ship of the Citadel Council if the need arose. Otherwise it would help bolster the reserves.

There was another flash of light and the geth fleet proper arrived led by the immense dreadnaught _Sovereign_ and hundreds of large capital ships. The massive squid like vessels dwarfed everything on the battlefield expect the Citadel itself and cast an aura of dread into the hearts of all who laid eyes upon it.

From the Citadel and its Fleet poured squadron after squadron of interceptors racing out to meet the approaching geth fighters. The moment the Citadel interceptors were free the mighty dreadnaughts and cruisers let loose with their main cannons sending almost a hundred and fifty twenty kilogram ferrous core shells to a velocity of four-thousand twenty-five kilometers a second or nearly one-point-three percent of light speed.

The shells tore through space and when they struck the geth cruisers and frigates they caused grievous damage and destroying a few outright. The geth dreadnaughts fared far bettered as their kinetic barriers were able to shrug off the slugs. _Sovereign _however shrugged off the dreadnaught's fire at if it was nothing but little droplets of rain pestering a mountain.

Conventional military tactics would have had the dreadnaughts and cruisers dueling it out at long range while the frigates and fighters engaged in knife-fighting tactics. Sovereign however did not subscribe to such tactics as it and its fleet rapidly closed the difference and the two great fleets intermingled in a grand and savage mêlée.

XXX

The _Normandy_ slid through the space less and one EU from the planet Ilos. In the cockpit of the stealthship Lieutenant Jeff Moreau gracefully piloted the craft through the blackness. Twisting around his chair he found his commanding officer standing behind him in full tactical gear, "This isn't going to be easy… aye commander?"

Kathryn Shepard an agent of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance; or that least she was for the moment. The theft of the _Normandy_ for this assignment meant that more than likely she'd be stripped of that title when she got back… if she got back.

Out the front of the cockpit Shepard could see the cigar shaped silver object that was a geth cruiser. This complicated things, she mused, this complicated things a hell of a lot. They just couldn't get dropped on the planet because the cruiser would detect them and shoot them down, "No it's not going to be easy," she finally admitted and then corrected jokert, "and I'm not a commander anymore."

Joker rolled his eyes at that an went back to piloting, "Whatever… commander," he said with a wink.

"Mr. Pressly," she called out and the always open comm in the cockpit transferred her call to the CIC, "can the Normandy take on a geth cruiser," she asked fully admitting that she didn't know the full capabilities of the Normandy and was its best commander at space.

The comm channel was silent for a few seconds before his Pressly answered, "_We can't stand up to her in a straight up fight…but I have an idea_," there was another pause, "_hold on commander I'm working on the calculations now._"

"Hold on I'll be right back," Shepard said and headed back towards the CIC where she saw Presley and another officer working franticly at a terminal. She made it into talking range and called out, "What have ya got Pressly?"

The _Normandy_'s XO pressed a few keys and a holographic image of the _Normandy_ and the geth cruiser appeared, "I want to use the Normandy's stealth system to slip right up to the back of the cruiser… about half a kilometer away," as he spoke the little holograms moved with his words as a visual representation.

Even with her limited experience in naval warfare she knew that five-hundred meters was nearly point-blank range for warships. Most fights were conducted from far longer distances, but instead of interrupting all she did was nod.

"Once we fire a load of torpedoes up their ass and damage their engines we'll skedaddle over to the planet to drop you off before they can respond and come after us," the XO informed her.

Shepard bit her lip, "uhmm that still doesn't explain how we're going to get down to the planet," she said doing the best she could to keep the confusion to a minimum, and I and my team can't jump from orbit… in fact half of them have never jumped before."

Pressly shook his head, "we wouldn't have time for us to get low enough for you to jump anyway," he smirked. The first time she had ever seen him smile in fact, "You're gonna like this Shepard… we're gonna drop your team in a couple of escape pods."

"That could work," Shepard though out loud, "they're armored, with their own interial dampeners, powerful sensors and retro-rockets…. Yah… good idea XO," she said clapping him on the shoulder. This was one of the borderline insane plans that made humanity so dangerous. They'd come up with shit like this that no one else would even contemplate. "Put it in motion."

"Aye, aye," the XO snapped and began barking orders to the crew to get the ship ready. The crew moved with the efficiency expected of the Alliance Navy, "Load all torpedo tubes forward and aft and remove all the safeties."

The weapons officer responded with an, "Aye, Aye."

"Put us on course one-two by eight-nine and bring us five hundred meters aft of the geth cruiser Mr. Moreau," Pressly ordered, "all silent as they go."

"_Aye, aye XO_," Joker responded over the comm, "_one-two by eight-nine, five hundred meters aft. All silent as we go._"

Shepard watched holoscreen as the dot that represented the _Normandy_ moved closer to dot that represented the geth cruiser. As the rangefinder on the holoscreen ticked down Presley ordered, "Joker the moment we lose those torpedoes I want everything the girl can give to get us to Ilos before the geth can figure out what the hell is going on."

"_Aye, aye_," Joker answered before asking, "_Sir you are aware that once we heat up we'll need at least five minutes to reengage the stealth systems_?"

"We won't need'em Joker," Pressly, "we're gonna scrap that cruiser," once he was finished with Joker he turned to face and said, "You better get you team to the pods commander."

Shepard nodded but before she went to assemble her team she gave Presley a wary look, "Can you really pull off all that bullshit you just said?"

"Can you really stop Saren," her XO retorted.

Shepard threw the man a mock salute as she walked away, "Touché."

XXX

The SSV _Normandy_ slid slowly through blackness of space illuminated by the system's only star and the reflection of the planet. The Alliance stealth ship approached the geth ship without the large cruiser ever knowing it was there.

Maneuvering into position to do what they were about to do was a lot more complicated than it sounded for two main reasons. One was that in space nothing is ever motionless so they were actually trying to sneak up on a moving target. The fact that the target was moving brought up the second point. In order for them to stay cloaked they couldn't use the engines and were forced to use the Tantalus Drive Core that, compared to the main engine it was incredibly slow.

Still, slowly but surely the _Normandy_ inched her way closer to the cruiser and when they reached their optimal firing range. From the CIC the command was given and the weapons officer obediently obliged and relayed the command to shoot to the weapons compartment. The pair of enlisted personal manning each of the Normandy's forward torpedo tubes slammed down on the firing levers.

Two type III Disruptor Torpedoes flew out from the underside of the _Normandy _propelled by explosive decompression. All such torpedoes had to be cold launched to prevent them from scorching the tubes on their way out. Once free of the tubes the torpedoes' thrusters ignited and they were sent racing towards the geth ship and slammed into the rear of the geth cruiser catching the machines unprepared. The charges detonated against the unshielded engine with the force of a small nuclear bomb shredding three of the four main engines of the warship.

The moment the torpedoes had left the tubes the _Normandy_ had fired its thrusters at full throttle and executed a hard right turn heading for the planet with the geth cruiser firing angrily in retaliation. Fortunately for the Normandy the geth cruiser was facing the opposite direction and because of its damage could turn fast enough to bring its main gun about so the only fire they were catching was from the point defensive batteries.

The _Normandy _accelerated away from the cruiser and after a good thirty seconds of full burn it reached the orbit of the mostly green orb that was Ilos. It took a second of banging away with its active sensors to find enormous emissions of energy and a few more to launch the pods containing Shepard and her team.

With the team deployed the _Normandy's_ engines roared as she was angled to get back in the fight.

XXX

"_Saren-Spectre,"_ the red striped geth intoned, "_Cruiser nine-dash- three-six-dash-eigh-"_

"Enough with the dashes and numbers," the Spectre roared spinning on the geth in frustration, "spit it out!"

The geth tilted his lampshade like head for a moment before saying, "_The cruiser in orbit reports it has sustained critical engine damage from a ship matching the specifications of the SSV Normandy…_" there was a brief pause as it receive more information, "_sensor detect the launch of three smaller objects…_," there was another brief pause as the geth did some quick calculations, "_Eighty-three percent possibility that the smaller objects are standard design Alliance escape pods_."

Saren regarded the geth with a cool stare, "Escape pods," he questioned, "why would they…," he trailed off with realization. With the cruiser in orbit the _Normandy_ couldn't risk a descent into the atmosphere so it appears Shepard or one of her officer had come up with using the escape pods as make shift descent craft. It was very clever as he thought about it but in the end he shook his head, it wouldn't matter.

"Have the patrol engage and eliminate Shepard," Saren said in almost a gentle tone. He didn't even here the geth respond as he continued to stare at the small wonder they had found in the middle of this facility.

Rising out from the middle of the facility was a massive trapezoidal stone pedestal upon which rested the towering and familiar blue-grey sight of a mass relay. This relay was unique for four reasons; the first two of which were the most obvious, that the relay was far smaller than all the others and it was on the surface of a planet. The third thing that made it unique was that it wasn't a genuine Mass Relay. It was a copy; a partially functioning reverse engineered Prothean duplicate of Reaper designed Mass Relay. Lastly unlike all others relays this one only went one place… to the Presidium at the very heart of the Citadel.

Saren turned around and let his gaze sweep across the ranks of geth that were assembled and waiting for the Relay to activate and the command to be given to storm through. There were close to four hundred geth troopers, about three companies worth, standing motionless. While it wouldn't be enough to completely overwhelm Citadel Security and the crack Response Teams in the entire Citadel not to mention whatever addition marine elements that were added, it would be enough to fight their way to the Presidium.

There was ear shattering clap that sent Saren's hand's over his earholes in an attempt to protect his ears from the deafening sound of the Relay activating. Saren growled savagely at the offending sound before turning back to the red striped geth, "Go," he barked as the hypnotizing blue glaze of the Relay's Element Zero core

"_By your command_," the geth's interface unit answered before issuing a high pitched mechanical sound ordering the geth through the relay.

The ex-spectre turned cybernetic life form watched as neat rows of shiny silver troopers marched up to the Relay and were launched at super-luminous speeds. He watched as the Relay fired row after of geth into the clear blue sky in what was sure to be an incredible surprise for the people on the Citadel.

Saren ground his razor sharp teeth at the sight. He wasn't a coward by any stretch of the word. He'd done things that others would have sent other's screaming. Still… this was terrifying; to be accelerated at millions of times the speed of light and thrown across the galaxy. Any other time he would have called it insanity, but today was the day for apparent insanities.

He took slow deliberate steps up the pedestal towards the Relay. As he closed to within ten meters he warily held out his hand feeling static electricity fizzle across his hand. The feeling was quite amazing, he mused as he ran his hand through the blue energy field. The ex-spectre took a deep reflexive breath and with a single step plunged himself into the light.

XXX

The turian dreadnaught _Legatus _shuttered as it was struck by a flurry of disruptor torpedoes. On the bridge of the flagship Genral Septimus and held tight to the console in front of him. Everything was going straight to hell. The geth and Sovereign were tearing the Citadel Fleet a new asshole and to make matters worse the Citadel's own defensive systems wouldn't activate.

"Inform the Destiny Ascension and her escorts to advance and plug up the gap in section A-3 by F-9," he called out to the communication officer.

After a few moments the turian male at the communication console looked up at him with a beleaguered look on his face, "Sir the Destiny Ascension and her escorts have been ordered to evac the Council," he paused, "Citadel Command orders us to cover their withdrawal."

The general swore an ancient and particularly vulgar turian curse and the _Legatus_ shook again from another hit, "Damage report!

"We're venting atmosphere on decks three through nine," he raised his hand to his earbud, "also we've lost port batteries, the accelerator coil for the main cannon has been destabilized," he hissed, " and kinetic barriers along our entire port side. Damage control teams have been dispatched, but things are looking good sir."

As if to empathize the damage control officer's point the monitors that broadcasted the view of the port side of the ship flared bright weight and when they cleared the cruiser that had been guarding the _Legatus_'s flank exploded as a red beam like thing tore through its magazine storage and out the other side.

"General the geth dreadnaught's advancing on our position," the sensor officer reported with the slightest trace of nervous showing despite her training.

"Focus all remaining batteries on that dreadnaught and tell all ships in the area to focus fire on Sovereign we need to buy the Council time to withdraw," the General ordered as he assumed a position of at-ease for the benefit of his crew. They needed to see their general was calm and collected despite the odds and forces arrayed against them.

The intimidating image of the squid-like dreadnaught filled the forward view screen as it's accelerated away from the geth lines at the heart of the Citadel Fleet, the_ Legatus_ itself.

"Admiral," the sensor officer called, "the geth dreadnaught is on a collision course!"

"Steady as we go," he ordered as the remaining batteries on the _Legatus_ and its support ships opened fire in a withering hail of tungsten, depleted uranium and disruptor torpedoes, "we are not going to be the ones to flinch this day."

Thirty-two-point-nine-eight seconds after they were fired the projectiles slammed into the obscenely powerful kinetic barriers of the massive dreadnaught and were almost effortlessly denigrated by said barriers.

The general grimaced, "Again," he called out to fire control as the dreadnaught grew steadily larger in the view screen. The _Legatus _shuttered as her secondary batteries fired again with the same results and the dreadnaught just kept coming. "Spirits protect us," he whispered as the sensor officer sounded another collision alert.

In the CIC and all throughout the ship the collision alarm klaxon blared as the Reaper closed to within ten kilometers. It was close enough that he could see on the view screen the masses of geth fighters swarming around the ship like flies.

With horrid realization he realized just how out matched his ship was against the massive brute as another salvo uselessly impacted the kinetic barriers. That let him only one options, "Helm," he called out, "All ahead full… estimated time until collision"

"All head full…yes sir," the helmsman said after a brief pause and the entire bridge crew hand gone silent. They knew what their commander had in mind. "One minute forty-six seconds until impact, sir."

The general took a deep breath, "Inform all hands to abandon ship. That's how long they have," he paused looking at his bridge crew, "I'll need at least three people to stay on board."

The fifteen man bridge crew looking at one another before the ship's captain answered for all of them, "We'll stay sir… it's been an honor."

The old turian general took a long look at each of the members of his bridge crew, "Thank you… thank you all. It's been a privilege serving with you."

Exactly one minute and forty two seconds later, on fire and with escape pods streaming from its underbelly, in a show of turian bravery and martial courage the _Legatus_ slammed dead center into the massive enemy dreadnaught. The _Legatus_ detonated with the force of a hundred atomic bombs washing the Reaper in a sea of flame.

The sailors and marines of the Citadel Fleet collectively held their breath hoping that the sacrifice of the kilometer long turian dreadnaught had not been in vain. However as the flame were quenched in the cold and heartless void the painful truth was revealed. Sovereign flew through the debris field unharmed and unhindered by the kamikaze attack of the turian ship and towards the Citadel.

With a hole now open in the Citadel Fleet's lines the geth fighters that had been swarming Sovereign broke off to attack the _Destiny Ascension_ and her escorts while the geth capital ships drove hard at the gap intent of cutting the Citadel Fleet in two and destroying them piece meal. The tide of battle was now swinging clearly in favor of the Reaper ad its geth servants.

XXX

On the positive note at least she managed to get her helmet off, Shepard mused as she spit at the bottom of the escape pod before wiping the vomit from the edges of her mouth. She wiped the top of her wrist off on her armored calf before slipping her helmet back over her head. When the seals finished hissing and took hold Shepard reached out a grabbed her rifle and did a quick check to make sure it was fine. When she was satisfied she leapt through the open escape pod hatch and down onto the stone courtyard floor.

The Spectre operative ducked into cover behind a stature of a Prothean, she recognized the physique from her memories, and shouldered her rifle letting loose two quick bursts as a geth trooper came into view. Shepard, Garrus and their respective teams had dropped down in three escape pods almost right on top of the geth position overwhelming most of the rear guard in a matter of moments.

Rising up from her crouching position she fired her weapon for suppressing effect while Garrus and Alenko pressing in hard from the right flank and gunned down the geth. With the immediate threat neutralized and the immediate area secure she waved her team, which consisted of Wrex and Liara, forward. Shepard wanted the Prothean expert close on hand when they went after this thing… the Conduit or whatever it was.

The two teams picked themselves and moved towards the blown out archway which had apparently held someking kind of blast door at the entranceway of the ancient structure. Shepard gave two quick commands and the squad formed into a passable squad column fire-team wedge with Shepard's fire team in from with Garrus's pulling up the rear.

They entered the long hallway, which was more like a large city street or even an old highway then a hallway in a building. The corridor was expansive and rose at least twenty to thirty meters skyward and was pitted with racks and some kind of man sized tubes. They looked kind of like cyro tubes that they back on _Normandy _and other Alliance ships.

They moved quickly but in formation down the seemingly endless hall. She nearly called the unit to a stop as she thought she heard someone call her name but each time she'd glance up at the comm and found that none of her squad mates had accessed the secure channel.

She was about to chalk it up to nerves when she heard an electronic voice shout as clear as day, "_Shepard!_"

Shepard launched her hand into the air making a closed fist and the squad froze, "Who is this," she whispered harshly.

Nearly at the same time Garrus came up next to her, "What's up Shepard…we can't stop here for long we have to keep moving," the turian said quickly.

"Someone's on my comm," she answered quickly frowning as she did and slapping him on the shoulder, "take command while I figure this out," she said as she dropped back into the center of the formation with her hand to her ear, walking with the team as they continued forward. She did a brief check of her comm and found out that it had been silent this entire time.

Shepard frowned in confusion once more and was about to run a check on her comm system when a voice blared straight into her head, "_I am Vigil_. _The prothean Virtual Intelligence assigned to safeguard this instillation_ _from discovery and to ensure its survival."_

Beneath her helmet Shepard frowned… a prothean VI, "How the hell are you inside my head," she hissed angrily. She'd been mind-fucked enough on this mission to last a lifetime

"_For reasons too complicated to get into for the moment the cypher you received allows me to directly connect to your mind. I have waited a long time for someone to discover the beacon and uncover the secrets of this place_… " the machine paused, "_there is so much I wish to tell but I lack the time to tell you. The indoctrinated one has already activated the Conduit and gone through_."

Shepard felt fear tear at her gut at what the VI had said. The Conduit had been their last great hope for defeating the Reapers. "What exactly is the Conduit? What's it do and why does Saren want it," she fired off three quick questions.

"_The Conduit is the pinnacle of prothean advancement_," the VI began to explain, "_after decades of research the science team stationed here managed to unlock the greatest achievement of galactic technology… the Mass Relay _."

"You guys built a Mass Relay," she said almost disbelievingly. Every race out there had at one point or another tried to duplicate the technology that allowed them to traverse the galaxy. She shook her head, "wait a second," she said with sudden realization, "the Conduit's a Mass Relay… I thought it was a weapon?" She finished her sentence with a hard edge to it. She'd come all the way out here, risking her career, freedom and the freedom of her comrades on the hope that the Conduit was some kind of superweapon… maybe like a moon sized station with some kind of planet blowing uppy gun or a missile that blows up suns or something like that.

"_Affirmative_," the VI intoned, "_but it more important than you believe. The Conduit is a proverbial backdoor to the Citadel and the Citadel is the key to the galaxy_."

Beneath her helmet Shepard frowned. The Citadel was important surely, but it wasn't that critical. Even if the Citadel fell the other races still had massive fleets with which to counter-attack and defend their own territories. Gritting her teeth she asked, "Why exactly is the Citadel so important?"

"_It is the gateway from which the Reaper fleet with emerge upon the galaxy,_" the virtual intelligence unit said, "_the Citadel is in fact an enormous Mass Relay which leads to the resting place of the Reaper Fleet in darkspace_."

Shepard blinked, so it wasn't just one Reaper… it was an entire fleet of them and the Citadel was there beachhead, "Shit," she cursed under her breath, "Hold on if the Citadel's a Relay then while haven't the Reapers invaded yet?"

"_I can only guess that the keepers who maintain the Citadel's systems have some evolved in a direction the Reapers didn't intend; so much so that they couldn't use them to remotely activate the Citadel Relay_," the VI reported. It paused before adding with urgency, "_You must hurry Shepard before the Reapers cull all life once more._"

As suddenly as the voice had appeared it vanished leaving her with one hell of a headache causing her to stumble before a pair of arms caught her, "Commander are you all right?"

Shepard brought the palm of her hand up to her forehead, or rather the part of her helmet that covered her forehead, and groaned, "We need to move double time," she grit out.

"What's going on Shepard," Garrus barked as he called the column to a halt.

"I'll explain."

XXX

The Presidium burned, or more precisely the trees which lined the walkways burned. Citadel Security had been caught completely unaware hand the handful of officers stationed on the Presidium had been wiped out with ruthless efficiency.

With the Council and embassies evacuated the Presidium was more or less empty leaving Saren and his geth with practically no opposition. To further disguise his intentions Saren sent all but ten of the geth he brought with him to wreak havoc by attacking several bunkers and collection points for civilians from the nearest Ward.

With his ten geth troopers in tow Saren stormed into the Council Chambers and right into the teeth of the defenses of the last remnant of the Council Guard. The turian and asari bodyguard unit had taken cover behind the many seemingly harmless stands and atriums that covered the chamber.

Whether by ignorance or design the top of the Council Chambers was a magnificent defensive position from which to fight and they knew it. Shots rained down as the guards fired their weapons and with a slick movement Saren drew his weapon and sent three rounds down range before slipping into cover behind a large cluma tree.

"Jam their comms," Saren growled looking back to the red-striped geth before firing at one of the guards and apparently hitting them in the shoulder because he fell back with a pained shout.

"_By your command_," the geth responded then raised up from behind its cover and let loose with its pulse rife, "_enemy communications jammed._"

"Take them," he ordered and they get did as he commanded. The geth troopers rose rising from positions firing relentlessly to pin the unfortunate guards down. Slipping from his cover and vaulting over the solid steel banisters that stood in his way Saren out flanked the few surviving soldiers and before they could respond he shot them dead.

For a moment Saren starred at the recently created corpses and felt a twinge of guilt as he recognized one of the dead turians as a son of a former comrade of his. Slowly the ex-spectre holstered his weapon and glanced up the long flight of stairs towards what Sovereign had revealed was the concealed location of the Citadel's master control panel.

"Get rid of them," Saren barked angrily at the geth as he started to climb the stairs. He wasn't so sure what he was angry at. He wasn't sure if he was angry with himself, with Sovereign, with the rest of the galaxy for forcing him to do this.

After what seemed like forever he reached the summit of the Council Chambers and activated the Citadel's master control system. The ghostly holographic panels surrounded him and almost filled the entire top platform.

He reached out and with a single talon tapped several commands into the system. Even though he was most likely been the first person to activate this system in fifty-thousand years he knew exactly what he was doing… a benefit of his "upgrades." Several seconds later the console beeped three times and gave the message that the Relay's leading to the Citadel were locked down.

_Sovereign_ had been able to lock them down at least temporarily under its own authority, but the threat that someone could overpower his lockout from the master control unit was too much of a threat. Plus, the master control unit was the only place that the Citadel Relay protocols could be activated.

Saren finished all the calibrations and checks prior to beginning the warm up procedures for the Mass Relay and his talon hovered over the button. He hesitated unwilling or unable to take that final step, to press the button that would begin the Reaper invasion. Perhaps… the thought went through his head, Shepard was right… perhaps.

"Arggh," the turian groaned clapping his hands over his head as pain laced through his mind. Reaching out he made a fist and slammed it down on the holographic button and seconds later a cheery holographic voiced informed him that the Citadel's capacitors would be charged in twenty point three-eight standard minutes.

XXX

"Son of bitch," Shepard cursed as she was thrown through the air and landed in artificial lake on the Presidium. Pushing herself up to her knees she pulled her rifle out from underneath the water, "This is fucking bullshit," she spat.

She had enough of this … over the past six month she had had her mind fucked with seven times including the mind melds with Liara and whatever the damn Prothean VI had done to her. Not to mention going through that goddamn Mass Relay. When the VI had told her about the Relay she hadn't actually taken the time to think about what the implications of going through it were.

Normal Relay travel made her nauseous and then she had several inches of titanium-A battleplate between her and the Relays. But free flying halfway across the galaxy without even a ship was batshit crazy. She considered herself lucky that she had already emptied the contents of her stomach otherwise she'd be cleaning out the inside of her helmet right now.

"You alright Shepard," Garrus said kneeling down next to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Forcing herself up she ground out, "Yeah I'm fine Garrus." Pinning the stock of her rifle up against her hip she made her way to the railing and hoisted herself over. After reaching the top she turned and held out her hand to help Garrus up. "We need to get to the Citadel Tower," she added in a calm commanding tone.

"We've got another problem commander," Alenko responded from the small perimeter the rest of the team had established.

"This seems to be the day for it," she wearily responded before sighing and finishing, "hit me."

Alenko tapped his omi-tool, "I've been eavesdropping in on the C-Sec comm channels and they're in a lot of trouble commander," the lieutenant being the team's communications expert had advance systems built into his hard-suit to better deal with electronic warfare situations.

"How much trouble," she questioned not liking the sound of what the lieutenant had to say.

"They're outgunned and being overwhelmed. They weren't expecting and attack from the rear and they're entire rear guard flat-lined before they realized what's going on," Alenko reported grimly, "the geth are slaughtering everyone they come across."

Shepard bit the inside of her cheek and glanced up at the tall glass elevator shaft that led to the Council Chambers. She turned back to face the Lieutenant, "Alright take Wrex, Liara and Tali and head out to see if you can link up with any of the surviving C-Sec elements."

"You sure about that Shepard," Garrus asked coming up right behind her, "We may need everyone we can get to take on Saren and whatever surprises he's got in store for us."

She considered what he had to say and she had to admit that he did have a valid point. Splitting the team didn't seem to be the wisest move but she was sure Garrus and her could handle Saren themselves without the need for the rest of the team. Besides Alenko and the others might be able to do more to help the civilians than they could by taking on Saren.

"We can handle it Garrus," she said reaching out and placing her hand on his before turning back to Alenko, "get to it Lieutenant," she ordered and the marine saluted before gathering his team and heading off.

Shepard watched them head off. Wrex grumbled about not getting to be there when they killed Saren but she promised him he get to at least see the recording. After they left Shepard and Garrus turned and quietly entered the glass like elevator and Garrus reached out and pressed the button on the control panel to take them to the Council Chambers.

Glancing up at her friend and lover she saw her reflection in his obsidian black visor, "This does seem like the best possible design," she said as she patted the side of her rifle reflexively while referring to what was all intents and purposes a tube with a steel frame and back.

Garrus head bobbed twice as he chuckled, but that chuckle and any sense of good cheer died as the lift cleared the metal ring that made up the Presidium and passed onto the skyscraper sized connector to the Citadel Tower which at the very top housed the Council Chambers. As it cleared the ring Shepard and Garrus had a clear view of the space heading down the "arms" of the Wards. It also gave both of them a view of the ferocious battle taking place in the space around the Citadel.

"Spirits," Garrus hissed at the sight while Shepard croaked, "My God!"

From their position in the lift car they could see massive explosions the signified dying and exploding ships and they could see the brief flashed of weapons fire. Shepard had never really scene a large scale naval battle play out because of her normal position on the ground. In an odd way it was quite beautiful the way the lights went off.

Suddenly Garrus's hand shot out and he called out, "Shepard look at that!"

She followed Garrus line of sight and nearly gasped at what she saw. The Reaper, Sovereign, was driving hard and directly towards the Citadel Tower with its 'tentacles' spread wide. It took Shepard a few seconds to realize what was going on; that the Reaper was going to latch on to the tower itself. Not only was the Reaper barreling down on the, but as she took a closer look she could see that the arms of the Wards were closing.

"This can't be good," she groaned and if to empathize her point the entire elevator shook and they were both thrown off their feet and slammed into the back wall. Scrambling to her feet in the now stopped elevator Shepard pressed the control panel with almost frantic movements, "Damn! The controls are frozen."

"What now Shepard," Garrus growled and he pushed his way past her and yanked off the control panel and went to work fiddling around with the circuits and wires.

As Garrus tried to override the lockout Shepard was focused on thinking up a way to get out of this situation… wait she thought as sudden realization came to her… get out was the key here. She glanced down at Garrus who was still working on the control panel.

"Do you still have a full air reserve," she questioned as she cracked open the chamber of her weapon and loaded a special breaching round into her weapon.

From his crouching position he glanced up at her and she saw herself reflected in his visor. He paused a second before answering, "Yeah it's full…why?"

Beneath her helmet she gave a small reflexive smile, "Make sure all your seals are good, 'cause' we're gonna take a walk outside."

Garrus quickly glanced at the window and then back at her, "I hate EVA," he ground out as he stood away from the glass front.

"I'm not a big fan either," she admitted and that was the absolute truth. She could do parachuting HALO and HAHO jumps, but EVA's and Relay travel always sent her stomach into little fits. Adjusting her rifle she pointed the barrel of the rifle at the glass wall and fired the breaching round.

The round shattered the bullet resistant, blowing it out into the vacuum of space with tremendous force. For a brief second there was a gall force wind equal to the greatest hurricane as the air inside the elevator rushed from the lift to try to accomplish the impossible task of equalizing the pressure between the vacuum of space and the compartment.

The first thing Shepard was aware of was just how loud her breathing sounded in the dead-silent vacuum. Every breath sounded like the beating of a thousand war-drums right next to her ears. Like she had been taught in training she took several slow deep breaths to get her heart rate under control

As normal voice communication was impossible the next thing Shepard dud was open up a two way comm channel with Garrus, "Let's get moving," she said wearily as she activated the magnetic plating of her boots make sure she didn't just float away.

She made her way to the edge of the lift and leaned forward to look 'outside' before leaping out of the car and onto the track that would take them to the Citadel Tower. Standing on a comparatively small platform in the vacuum of space while a massive naval battle raged around you and a gigantic genocidal ship was bearing down on her objective, put thinks a bit in perspective.

"We're fucked."

XXX

With a hiss of steam Alenko popped the heat sink of his weapon and slammed a fresh one into his weapon and charged the hammer of his weapon .With his M-8 Avenger now operational again he re-shouldered the weapon and sent a stream of super accelerated metal shards streaming to a geth trooper.

As the geth trooper fell another one stepped up to take its place with its pulse rifle firing superheated plasma pulses rapidly through the air causing the air it was flying through to sizzle as it did. Alenko ducked behind the burned out aircar her was using for cover, "I need some help," he shouted again flinching as rounds tore a few inched above his head.

Moments after his call a flurry of blue energy flew over his head and the next thing he knew the geth was lifted into the air and slammed down with enough force to completely shatter its synthetic body into half a dozen pieces. He glanced back and had expected to see Wrex roaring in victory but instead saw a blue corona fading around Liara.

Beneath his helmet Alenko smiled and gave Liara a mock salute. Readying his weapon he popped back up and sprayed rounds as several more geth appeared on the street. The marine pulled a frag grenade of his belt and tossed it down the street and after a single bounce it exploded scrapping the geth out in the open.

He waited for several seconds before and when the only thing he heard was silence he peeked around the side of the car and saw that there wasn't anything waiting to shoot at them he stood and yelled, clear!"

Slowly his team and they three straggling C-Sec officers that they had collected during the course of their firefight stood. Alenko gave the signal to move forward and slowly they did just that. They'd surprised the geth rearguard and managed to eliminate a portion of it. Hopefully it was enough to draw some pressure from the C-Sec units in block 39-21A.

"Captain Tarso," Alenko opened a come dedicated channel to the commander of a Citadel Special Response Unit that was holding out in a desperate battle against nearly overwhelming odds, "We've flat lined the rearguard and are approaching your position."

"Roger that Lieutenant Alenko," the turian C-Sec officer responded with a grateful tone in his voice, "thanks for the assist. Where the hell did all the geth come from we would have heard the boarding alarms."

"That's a long explanation Captain," Alenko chuckled, "I try to explain it when we link up."

XXX

Shepard advanced slowly through the lavishly decorated Council Chambers her head and gun on a swivel as she hunted for Saren. She spared a quick glance to her left to make sure Garrus was still on her left flank.

Silently they approached the stairs leading up to the top of the pedestal where Vigil had told them the Master Control Panel would be. Shepard rose up, her finger tightening on the trigger, as she expected to see Saren manipulating the controls. However that wasn't the case and she felt her stomach drop in trepidation and started to drop back wary of an ambush.

Suddenly from beyond the control panel there was a high pitched whining sound and Saren rose like a specter on a geth flying platform, "Garrus contact forward," she shouted leveling her rifle at the former Spectre. The sound of three cracks of thunder filled the air as Saren fired at them.

Shepard grunted in pain as the first shot connected with her left shoulder. The force of the shot knocked her off back down the pairs. She grit her teeth as every thump sent a join of red hot lightening through her shoulder and into her brain.

A burst of automatic weapons fire filled the air and was answered by several semi-auto shots. As the rounds rang out Shepard pulled herself behind a banister to act as her cover. Gingerly she brought a gloved hand up to the bullet wound and found her hand coming away sticky with her blood.

Seconds later Garrus landed on the deck beside her and scrambled for the other banister opposite her position, "Shepard you hit," he questioned grimly and even though she couldn't see his face she could tell he was concerned.

"Yeah," she said holding up her bloody right palm before dropping her hand to her side and drawing her pistol, "I'll be fine," she said after doing a quick check of her vitals through her suits system. The round fortunately hadn't hit anything in important; it was what they called a 'through and through.' Still the wound hurt like a son of a bitch and the suits automatic pain killer and regenerative supplements injectors wouldn't be very pleasant either.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time," Saren's dark, metallic voice echoed throughout the Council Chambers, "after everything that's happened it'd be a shame if you weren't here to see the end of this match."

Shepard flinched as she felt the needles in her armor pierce her skin and the medication flow into her blood stream. Biting the inside of her cheek she said, "Sorry," she said sardonically as she flexed her wounded shoulder, "took me a little longer to get up here than I originally thought… must need more cardio in my workouts."

Saren chuckled darkly, "It doesn't matter in moments the Citadel's capacitors will be fully charged and I'll be able to activate it's Mass Relay and allow the Reapers to return."

Charging the slide on her pistol she readied herself for what was likely to be the final showdown, "So then all I need to do is kill you."

"You may have survived our encounter on Virmire," he snarled, "I've improved… I've changed," he continued spreading his arms and mandibles in a fierce growl, "Sovereign has upgraded me!"

The way he said that sent a shiver down Shepard's spine, "What do you mean … upgraded?"

The rouge Spectre began to pace, "I've learned there is a place for organics in the new galactic order and I am the first of a new creation," he intoned ominously, "a perfect blend of the synthetic and organic; a vision of the future that is to come."

"Then I'll check out here," Shepard said shifting into a crouched firing position, "Cover me," she shouted and moments later the sound of Garrus's rifle roaring filled the air.

Ignoring the protests from her shoulder she dashed up the stairs firing her pistol at Saren on his floating platform. Both her and Garrus's shots did no damage as Saren's platform was protected by a powerful kinetic barrier and the rounds just pinged off.

That didn't surprise Shepard that the platform had a shield. Most Alliance military vehicles processed kinetic barriers that carried out the same function as they did aboard ships, to deflect and or absorb enemy shots. What she hoped was that this operated just like the kinetic barriers on ships and armored fighting vehicles and allowed relatively slow moving objects to pass through unchallenged.

It was designed this way so that soldiers could enter and depart from fighting vehicles and starfighters and shuttles could do the same from their motherships without having to constantly raising and lowering the barriers.

As Shepard raced towards the top she was thankful that the shots from Garrus's rifle were causing the kinetic barriers to flare in a bright white light obstructed the ex-Spectre turned cyborg's vision. Reaching a distance of around two meters Shepard launched herself at the platform. As she hoped she passed through the kinetic barrier and slammed into Saren and they both went tumbling over the edge and fell with a thunderous crash through the skylight and down into the atrium.

Pushing herself up among the shards of glass and threw herself ontop of the rouge Spectre, drawing back and slamming her fist into the metal plates of his face. She pulled back again and threw her fist forward but Saren managed to get his own hand up to catch her fist in his palm and squeezed digging his talons into her fist. She screamed in pain as the talons dug into her gloves and in attempt to finish this she drew her k-bar from her legs sheath stabbed downward at his eye.

However Saren was quicker than her and before she could deliver the death blow Saren snapped out with his free hand and wrapped it around her wrist. Even with a superior position on the top and gravity to assist Saren was stronger than her and slowly pushed her back. With a gasp of pain Shepard dropped the knife and could swear she head the bones in her wrist breaking.

"Shepard," she heard a shout from above, "gimme a shot!"

Having an idea of what Garrus wanted she brought her head down slamming into his face. High-grade composite material met the natural metal-like plate of a turian's face. The force of the impact was enough to jar herself free and roll off him.

Seconds after rolling off Saren the familiar roar of an assault rifle filled the chamber for a full eight seconds. Lying on her stomach which her hands over her head a few meters away from the ex-Spectre she craned her neck and glance at him. The former spectre operative was lying still with dozens if not hundreds of holes riddled his body. Thick, dark, blue blood oozed from the holes and the turian was motionless.

Again she pushed herself off the ground and carefully moved towards the body. She knelt down next to him and gingerly reached out and found the spot on his next to where his plates met. She'd learned, quite incidentally, from her time with Garrus about where you could feel the pulse on a turian.

After several seconds she removed her head and took a long look up through the broken skylight where Garrus was standing, "Nice shot," she commented before turning back to the corpse and reaching back out to close the dead turians eyes. "try to figure out how to shut down the Relay."

Saren Arterius was dead.

Standing up she retrieved her k-bar and side-arm and replaced them on her person. Shepard took several moments to glance around looking for a way back up. After a few seconds she saw a later at the far end of the atrium and she then headed that way.

XXX

Garrus looked down into the atrium from his position up above Shepard and Saren's cooling corpse. He had turned Shepard's last command but he hesitated. Once she was several meters away Garrus raised his rifle and double tapped on the trigger. He watched with some satisfaction as Saren's head twitched as two rounds tore into the skull.

Slinging his rifle over his shoulder he made his way over to the control panel and carefully looked around. It seemed Saren had been in the process of trying to lock it down. He wasn't as tech savvy as Tali or even Liara but he could read a layout screen.

It seemed Saren had had three major programs running. The first and most obvious was charging the Citadel's Mass Relay to prepare to accept the massive influx of Reapers; however beneath that he did find a less prominent program that Saren had activated.

After a few seconds he discovered that the second program was a full-spectrum jamming of all transmissions leaving the system. The third was a lockout of the relays leading into the Citadel. With sudden realization he understood the purpose of the last two. They were in place to keep any kind of reinforcements from arriving to aid the Citadel Fleet.

"What have we got," he heard Shepard ask as she came up behind him.

Garrus stood to the side, "Take a look," he said stepping back to allow his mate at the Master Control Unit. He watched as Shepard's hands danced over the controls ad after a moment she echoed his concerns.

"Try to find a way to shut the jamming and the lockout down," she said with an understandable sense of urgency in her tone, "the Fifth Fleet has to be waiting at the Terra Nova Relay and the Citadel Fleet doesn't look like it can last much longer without help."

Garrus froze and glanced over at her. The thought about the Fifth Fleet hadn't occurred to him before. He quickly brought up the Citadel's sensor and confirmed that there were only a few Alliance IFFs which were nowhere near enough to make up an entire Alliance Fleet, but was enough to account for they few Alliance warships that were normally here in port.

Suddenly he caught glimpse of a blinking limp out of the corner of his eye. He focused in on the system and found that this was what they were looking for; the jamming controls for outgoing and incoming communications.

"Shepard," he called as he started to shut down the jamming system.

The moment he did he heard, "-_of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, Citadel Control come in! This the SSV Orizaba holding position in the Terra Nova system. If anyone can hear me come in. This is Admiral Hackett of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, Citadel Control come in!_"

Shepard settled in next to him and tapped a few buttons on the holographic interface and a comm channel opened, "Admiral Hackett this is Agent Shepard with Special Tactics and Recon we've managed to kill Saren and retake control of the Citadel's Master Control Unit."

"_Good work Shepard_," Hackett congratulated, "_the entire Fifth Fleet is waiting at Terra Nova, but the Relay isn't working properly. Is there anything you can do about it Shepard?_"

As Shepard and the Admiral had been talking Garrus had been studying the console and running through its commands looking for a way to shut down the lockout. With a triumphant grin he found what he was looking for and triggered the command that would unlock the Relay.

"Relay's unlocked Shepard," he said with a smile beneath his opaque black helmet, "tell Hackett the door's open."

Shepard turned to look at him and even though he couldn't see her whole face he could tell she was pleased. She turned back to the comm, "Admiral the gates opening and I'm forwarding you the tactical information from the Citadel's sensors."

There was a pause on the end of the line before the Admiral answered, "_That's affirmative Shepard we're receiving the package now… the cavalry's on the way._"

XXX

Lieutenant Commander Adam Lee sat in his Raptor interceptor rapping on the instrument panel in frustration. His squadron and most of the wing had been sitting in their fighters for over an hour after they had been called up to alert status. So far all control a deigned to tell him was that they were having trouble with the Relay… whatever that meant.

As far as Lee was concerned the Relays had been around forever and he'd never heard of them suffering any kind of 'problems' before. That made him more concerned that he would care to admit. Rumors had started to circulate through the fleet that something evil was out there and acting through the geth and Saren. While the veteran naval aviator wasn't one to give into shipboard scuttlebutt he did admit this had him nervous.

He was about to call control again and ask what the hell was going on when a stern and immediately familiar voice came over the comm, "_Attention sailors and marines of the Fifth Fleet I apologize for the delay, but a terrible event as occurred. The Citadel has fallen under attack from a massive geth fleet and situation is dire. Gentlemen today we get to be the shining white knight riding in to save the day. Today we get to show the galaxy what humanity is truly capable of. You are the best of the best and today you get to prove it. Good luck to us all… Hackett out."_

Lee swallowed hard as the orders came down and did one last check of his systems and called for a roll call of his unit… the twenty-fourth fighter squadron. Once all of the men and women under his command checked in he relayed their status to control.

A few frantic minutes later the cold metallic female voice of the ship's VI echoed across the ship and the fleet telling them to prepare for relay travel. There was a wait and then the ship shuttered in a telltale of relay travel. Seconds later the shuttering stopped and the Control Officer barked "_Launch!_"

The Lt. Commander shook like a leaf in his seat as the magnetic sled on his launch tube hurled his fighter through the tube and into the void of space. Manipulating the controls of his fighter he brought his fighter into a holding pattern as the rest of his squadron was ejected into space.

"Lord in Heaven," he whispered as he saw the carnage of the battlefield. The numbers of ships, the scale of the fight and the shear amount of death far outweighed any other engagement he'd taken part in; in fact this was easily the largest naval engagement since humanity discovered the Mass Relays. With a shake of his head he brought himself back to his senses, "Knights," he called out the designation for the Twenty-Fourth Interceptor Squadron, "form up on vector two-oh-by-three-eight."

There was a collection of 'yes sirs,' 'roger that's,' and 'aye commanders' from the members of his squadron as they responded to his orders. The Twenty-Fourth and the other interceptor squadrons from the _Enterprise _and the other carriers formed a fighter screen in front of the fleet and accelerated towards the swarms the flying wing shaped geth fighters which were just beginning to react to the unexpected Alliance presence.

"Alright boys and girls," Lee called out into his comm while checking his LADAR screen, "here come the toasters. Break by pairs and stick with your wing mates."

The smooth, streamlined Alliance interceptors rapidly closed the distance with the geth and when the alarm klaxon sounded signaling he was in range of the geth Lee disengaged the safeties on the six space-to-space missiles and when the signal lock chime sounded he thumbed the launch button on the side of his joystick six times in rapid succession.

His missiles and the missiles fired from the rest of the interceptors streamed through space and detonated in an incredible burst of light. Pushing his throttle all the way open he flew through the debris keeping his eyes open for more fighters. When his LADAR warbled a warning he threw his fighter into a series of evasive maneuvers as he slipped behind a geth fighter and blew them away.

Lee was in the middle of tracking another target when a shaky and static field voice butted into the comms, "_This… Matriarch… commanding the Destiny Ascension… barriers… failing. The Council… onboard… request assistance… repeat…_"

"Command you getting this," Lee barked over his comm as he juked his fighter and pulled a Crazy Ivan and blew away two fighters that had tried to sneak up on his tail.

"_Roger that Ares_," Commander Grace the Fleet's CAG responded a moment later, "_await further instructions._"

The Lt. Commander bit out a curse at the CAG's answer and as one of the Alliance interceptors exploded under fire from the geth. He threw his fighter into another series of pitches, yaws and rolls to avoid the deadly rounds that buzzed by his cockpit.

"_Alright Ares new orders_," the CAG's voice came back about thirty seconds later, "_Hackett's ordered that the Destiny Ascension to be secured at all cost Commander_. _You'll lead the charge and the rest of the fleet will follow you_."

"Roger that," Lee confirmed the order. He paused before he asked, "what about that geth dreadnaught the intel warned about." That massive geth dreadnaught that had had the fleet pissing itself was nowhere to be seen. In a lot of ways that worried him more than if it was out in the open blowing the fleet away.

"_It's inside the Citadel_," the CAG responded to his confusion, "_We've got an operative on the inside who'll open the arms once we've dealt with the rest of the geth_."

He was surprised that he had gotten as much information as he had but that left a lot more questions than it answered. However he was lucky that he got that much out of command. Opening his squadron wide comm system, "Knights form up on me we need to secure the space around the Ascension."

The Alliance interceptors finished off the rest of the geth which had engaged the fighter screen three squadrons worth of Raptors disengaged and headed off towards the beleaguered Citadel Flagship at their maximum speed.

The closer his interceptor drew towards the massive Asari dreadnaught the more worried he became. The once purple plated skin of the mighty ship was now blackened and in certain sections the superstructure was exposed to the ravages of the vacuum. Around the damaged ship a handful of teardrop shaped asari starfighters, avian shaped turian starfighters and dagger shaped salarian starfighters fluttered in a desperate struggle for life.

Lee, however, was more concerned about the two geth cruisers and a couple of frigates bearing down on the beleaguered flagship. While single man craft, interceptors especially, lacked the firepower to punch through the kinetic barriers of capital ships or even penetrate most ship plating they had the ability to knock out weapons blisters and kinetic barrier generators to soften them up for their own ships.

So that's exactly what Lee and about half the squadron did while the other half went after the geth fighters harassing the _Destiny Ascension. _With great skill and more than a little luck Lee flew his raptor through the point-defense fire of the geth and began strafing the unprotected weapon blisters of the geth warships.

The weapons blisters and shield generators withered as his high explosive armor piercing shells tore into them and detonated blowing apart the offensive and defensives capabilities. As detonations rocked the small frigate he barked out a warning to the other interceptors and they pulled out before a round from the _Orizaba _gutted the geth ship.

Flipping his fighter over he glanced out and the vanguard of the Alliance Fifth Fleet tearing a bloody swath of destruction through the rear of the geth Fleet.

XXX

"_Shepard the Destiny Ascension has been secured_," Hackett barked over the comm unit, "_open the Citadel and give us a shot at Sovereign._"

"Roger that Admiral," Shepard responded as she guided her hands over the control panel and started the sequence that would open up the Citadel's 'arms' and expose _Sovereign _to the full might of the Fifth Fleet.

As Shepard hit the key that would begin the process of opening the Citadel's 'arms' she heard a horrible sounding cry from down in the atrium from where they had left Saren's cooling corpse. In a swift, smooth movement Shepard pulled her side-arm from its holster as she glanced over at Garrus who shouldered his rifle and gave her the same confused glance she was sure she was giving him.

"He's dead right," Garrus questioned with a confused glance as they both started inching their way towards the edge of the atrium.

As they reached within a meter of the edge a blur of grey smashed up through the atrium glass and with an arching backflip and landed in a three-point crouch on the other side of the atrium on the opposite of them. Shepard nearly felt her jaw drop as the grisly turian stood.

The former Spectre looked like the walking dead and as crazy as it sounded Shepard found herself believing that he might just be that. Saren's chest was a bloody blue mess that oozed from dozens of bullet holes; his right side mandible was torn and hanging limply by a tendon and blood spurted from his mouth with every breath. Worst of all were the turian's eyes. The silver orbs now glowed a sickly red reminding Shepard of the color of human blood.

She spared a quick glance at Garrus who locked just as shocked at the sight of the dead ex-Spectre's appearance. Training her pistol she asked, "Saren… what the…?"

"_Saren is gone_," a deep voice deeper than even Saren's normal tone echoed throughout the Council Chambers. The 'thing' raised both hands and from the cracks in his flesh the same sickly red glow that came from his eyes was emitted from his insides. Suddenly the flesh around the lights burst in a flame that engulfed his body.

"By the Spirits," Shepard heard Garrus whisper as they both watched the grotesque sight before them as Saren's flesh quite literally melted away from the rest of his body pooling at his feet. What was left was a horrible fusion of metal and bone held together in a form that mocked turian anatomy.

When the last piece of meat fell from his corpse the glowing red eyes focused on her, "_Saren is gone_," it repeated, "_I… I am Sovereign_."

What Saren had said about receiving upgrades flashed through her thoughts. The Reaper must have used them as a failsafe so even if Saren died the mission could still be accomplished. She bit down the bile that was threatening to rise in the back of her throat at the thought of what Sovereign must have done to Saren for this to happen.

As quick as she could pull the trigger she pulled it sending a torrent of fire streaming toward the abomination and Garrus did the same. Their rounds pinged harmlessly off the abomination's shell and in response it let out a horrible laugh as it launched at her with its razor sharp talons extended intent on gutting her right there.

Shepard threw herself to her left just in time to avoid the deadly claws of the monstrosity and in a smooth motion fired her side-arm again and again the shots pinged off. Hitting the ground with a thump she fired again with the same result.

What once was Saren turned menacingly to face and began to advance menacingly clenching and unclenching his claws as he did. Her mind raced as she attempted to figure out what to do next to stop the thing that was about to kill her.

Suddenly there was a roar from her right and she turned to see Garrus charging at _Sovereign _with the butt of his rifle raised. He brought the butt of his weapon down slamming into the side of its head with enough force that would have snapped a normal turian's neck. With this thing all it did was make it angry and its hand snapped out and dug its talons into Garrus's helmet.

It held him there for ten full seconds as Garrus uselessly failed in an attempt to break his hold. That said Garrus couldn't and _Sovereign_ lashed out with one of his legs and slammed it into Garrus's right leg with tremendous force. The bone snapped like a dry twig. Garrus's shouts of pain filled the air from his leg but_ Sovereign _was far from finished with him and with a mighty heave hurled her mate through the air.

Reaching into one of her vest pouches Shepard retrieved a small block of high explosives and plugged a detonator into it before palming the plastic. It was a gamble and she knew it but this was the only thing she could think of at the moment. With all the strength she could muster she charged at _Sovereign_, but the machine merely side-stepped and like a flash of lighting lashed out and arrested her by the neck.

Shepard felt a ragged cough burst from her throat as the vise like grip tightened around her neck. With her right hand she unsheathed her he k-bar and brought it down on as hard as she could on _Sovereign_'s head, but as she expected the knife deflected off the impenetrable alloy. Shepard didn't let that deter her as that had been a part of her hastily thought out plan. It had been in fact just a cover for her to plant the plastic explosive inside his ribs.

If had been quite a gamble on her part. She had been betting on the fact that with all the organic components gone the metal skeleton would lack any tactile sensation. As she had hoped the cyborg didn't immediately tear off the explosive or snap her neck.

"_I'm disappointed Shepard_," _Sovereign_ rumbled in its arrogant, prideful and superior tone, "_after everything I would have thought you'd put a better fight than this._"

"You'd be surprised," she managed with the barest traces of a smile touching her lips. The machine's head titled in confusion and when Shepard activated the detonator on her omi-tool she would have sworn that the emotionless face plate showed fear.

XXX

"Dammit," Hackett cursed as the _Orizaba _was rocked from an explosion caused by another ship being bisected by _Sovereign_'s tentacle cannon. He spared a look at the tactical display and noted that the destroyed ship was the cruiser _Cairo_.

So far the Reaper had put more of a fight than Hackett would have given it credit for. That single monstrosity was fighting the entire Fifth Fleet to a standstill. Nothing they did seemed to be able to scratch it. The reverse was not true every time that thing fired its primary weapon another Alliance or Citadel ship was destroyed in an instant.

"Admiral we need to fall back and regroup," the _Orizaba_'s captain, Strasbourg, shouted from the duty station of the tactical officer who had been wounded when the ship took a hit in the opening engagement with the Reaper.

"Negative," the Admiral responded squaring his shoulders, "If we retreat now we'll never get another shot at this. Comm order the Fleet to press the attack at all cost," he paused then looked over at the captain, "Tactical, ready all remaining ship-to-ship missiles and arm the nukes."

The buzz of activity on the bridge fell silent as the crew understood what the order meant. At this range, which was the equivalent of knife-fighting distance, the nukes would likely destroy them as well as their enemy… which of course assumed their enemy would in fact be destroyed.

"Aye Admiral reading all remaining ship-to-ship missiles and arming nuclear ordinance," the captain repeated his voice tense. There was a brief wait as the orders were carried out but less then fifteen seconds later, "We're ready Admiral."

Admiral Steven Hackett the commander of the Alliance Fifth Fleet took a breath to give what was likely to be his last order when the sensor officer shouted, "Admiral massive energy disturbance coming from the geth dreadnaught!"

"Onscreen," he barked turning to the monitors. He frowned at the image of the massive squid like ship as what looked like red lightning bolts danced around it. Then the ship's 'tentacles' which for the most part had been wrapped around the Citadel tower began to unwrap and the Reaper began to fall away, "Sensors," he called, "What's happening to it!"

"I don't know Admiral but from what I'm reading its kinetic barriers are down and I'm detecting diminishing power emissions from its Element Zero Core," the officer said with confusion clear in his tone.

Hackett didn't know if the Reaper had achieved its goals, was playing with them or had a heart attack. All he did know was that for the first time in this fight the Reaper was vulnerable, "Belay nuclear attack order, but fire every bit of conventional ordinance we have left!"

The order was relayed and moments later the massive main cannon of the _Orizaba_ fired while at the same time twenty-six "broadsword" ship-to-ship missiles launched from their tubes and ignited their rocket engines.

The main cannon round impacted the Reaper mid-section and tore an enormous hole right through the ancient warship causing it to spasm like a fish that had been hit with spear gun. Moments after the cannon round impacted the missiles delivered the follow through punch; slamming into the Reaper and detonated covering the ship in a massive fireball.

Hackett and the rest of the bridge crew watched with rapt attention as the fireball began to fade and when it did a massive cheer rang out across the bridge as the Reaper ship began to break apart.

XXX

Spirits don't take her from me, Garrus thought as he slowly drug himself over to the position where Shepard had landed. Even though the pain in his leg was excruciating he forced himself to go on. He watched as she executed her near suicidal plane to kill Saren… _Sovereign_… whatever the hell that was, while he was unable to help.

He watched as the thing exploded and the force of it threw her halfway across the room. He closed to within arms distance of her still figure and nearly cried in relief when he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He bit back an angry curse wishing that his helmet was still intact so he could check her injuries.

Even without the systems in his helmet he could tell she was in bad shape. Her helmet was cracked staring at the top of the skull and heading down into the rebreather section; the whole front of her armor was black and burned and in some places he could see the under suit she wore beneath her armor.

"Shepard," he called out and when she didn't respond he called out a little louder ,but still got nothing… she was out cold.

Garrus was torn on what to do. Logically he knew she might have some sort of back, neck and/or a head injury, he'd be surprised if she didn't, and that moving her could cause more damage, but every instinct he had told them that leaving her out her especially with a ruptured suit and him with a busted helmet was a monumentally bad idea.

Without warning the space outside the enormous windows of the Council Chamber's lit up like a sun going nova. Garrus wasn't exactly sure what exactly caused it. He hoped it was the Alliance blowing up the Reaper, but he couldn't be sure. Nonetheless that explosion made up his mind for him.

Mindful of his leg he wrapped his right arm around her and began the slow arduous task of dragging both of them across the floor of the Citadel Chambers. His goal was one of the top level conference rooms off to the side of the main chamber. These rooms would be perfect for what he wanted. Like most rooms on a space station they could be individually sealed again vacuum but what made these special was they had their their own life support systems. With the elevator down this was the best chance they had.

With a gargantuan effort he pulled them both into one of the rooms and sealed the door behind them. Carefully he laid her up against the wall at the far back of the room with a solid steel table between them and the door. After making her as comfortable as he possibly could under the circumstances he propped himself up against the wall and, gritting his teeth, set his leg.

With tears streaming down his face as his leg screamed in pain and would until the pain meds started to kick in. As he sat there he continually found himself glancing down at Shepard… his Shepard… his Kara… his mate to make sure her chest still rose and fell.

Slowly and carefully he scooted himself right next to her and gently lifted her head to remove her battered and useless helmet. When that was complete he carefully laid her head down on his lap and grimaced at what he saw. The whole left side of her face was covered in what would definitely become a bruise and a small trickle of blood leaked from her mouth and nose.

Reaching out he gently traced the contours of her face with the first talon of his right hand. Even bruised and bloodied as she was he still found her beautiful. Without warning the sound of breaking glass, rending metal and the rush of air invaded the room even through the airtight door as he could only assume something had smashed open the Council Chambers to space.

"Ugggh," the pain hissed escaped from Shepard's lips, "what happened?"

"You tried to blow yourself up," Garrus cracked feeling an unbridled sense of joy in hearing her voice again.

He watched as she rolled her eyes and smiled slightly, "Yeah remind me never to do that again."

She quickly glance around and again Garrus felt a sense of joy mingled with relief as he saw that at least she didn't seem to have any neck damaged.

"We're in one of the conference rooms," he explained sensing what her next question was going to be, "3-B if it helps at all."

"Sovereign," she questioned, "I planted the charge inside him."

"Itty bitty pieces," he responded harshly glad that the monster was finally dead.

"And the battle?"

That gave him pause. After opening the Citadel's 'arms' and 'Saren's' resurrection they lost connection with Admiral Hackett and Garrus hadn't even thought of patching the Citadel comm line into their own after the fight was over. He took a deep breathe to give himself an extra moment and looked back down at her. Shepard's face was calm but he could he the worry in her eyes.

"I don't know," he finally admitted and despite his efforts his own voice sounded strained even to his own ears.

He saw her try to shift to get up, but when a pained look crossed her face he gently pushed her back down. It was her turn to take a deep breath after which she said, "And with my armor toast and you're helmet nowhere in sight neither of us have comms."

He blinked… and then swore angrily at the realization that she was absolutely right, "I didn't even think about that Kara."

"So," she drew that single word out, "I guess we wait."

"I guess so," he grumbled still upset with himself about the comm situation.

"Can you move everything," he ventured again worried for her health.

Slowlt she shook her head, "I can't move my legs," she whispered and Garrus could detect a note of fright in her tone. That alone scared him more than he would have thought. Kara had always

Silence filled the room as they both sat their motionless, or rather he sat while Shepard laid on the floor with her head on his lap. Absentmindedly he ran his talons through her hair while he whispered soothing things to her.

"I like June," she said interrupting him.

Startled he looked down at her until he remembered that June was what humans called one of the summer months. Even remembering that he was still a little confused by the apparently random statement, "Pardon," he questioned while tilting his head in a very avian manner.

"Were being married… mated," she hitched her eyebrow and clarified, "I'd like to do the ceremony in June if it's possible."

He smiled. His asking Shepard to be his mate seemed like ages ago, but now it seemed like the most important and pressing thing in the word to him, "There's going to be a lot to decide on," he said, "but I'm sure we can do it in June if you like."

Despite everything was or for all he knew was going on right now Garrus was at peace. As long as Kara was with him nothing else mattered.


	10. Epilogue: New Beginnings

**Mass Effect: A Few Good Soldiers**

Epilogue: New Beginnings

Slowly she became aware of a rhythmic beeping and when she slowly opened her eyes she saw the familiar sights of a standard Alliance medical ward all around.

"Welcome back Kara," the familiar voice of her mate, Garrus Vakarian, entered her consciousness, "You had me worried."

Rolling her head to the left she saw Garrus lying in a hospital bed similar to the one she was in but unlike her he had his right leg in a bone white cast and elevated on a system of pulleys. After that she quickly glanced down at herself and saw that her midsection, arms and legs were strapped to the bed, to keep her spine still and she had numerous medi-gel patches, to heal the burns she'd suffered, all over her arms, legs and she could even feel a few on her chest

"How long have I been out," she questioned or at least tried to question but the dryness of her throat and tongue prevented her from being able to properly form words.

"Hold on Agent Shepard," an orderly who had no doubt been alerted the moment she regained consciousness. The navy orderly promptly rushed to her side with a cup of water that had a bendy straw in it and put the end of the straw next to her lips.

Having gone through this before she knew he was just doing his job but she couldn't help feel embarrassment had not being able to fend for herself. Nonetheless she took several deep sips from the cup before thanking the orderly and repeating her original question, "How long have I been out?"

"About two days," was Garrus's answer, "a damage control team found us after the battle was over and brought us here… the SSV _Hopeful _if I remember correctly."

If here memory was accurate the _Hopeful_ was one of only three _St. Luke-_Class Hospital Ships in the Alliance Navy. These nearly kilometer long ships were comparative in size to dreadnaught class worships, but instead of being armed with the deadliest weapons known to galactic civilization these ships were crammed full of the most advanced medical equipment in the galaxy.

"How about Alenko and the rest of them," Shepard asked as suddenly as it passed her mind, "did they make it out alright?"

"No worse for wear," Garrus tilted his head to his side, "Liara and Tali had a few scrapes and bruises but nothing serious," his face broke in a turian smile, "guess we weren't as lucky."

"No you weren't," a stern commanding voice interrupted their revelry, "good work commander."

Years of ingrained military discipline just didn't disappear because one left the military. Shepard reflexively made an attempt to sit forward but fell back against the bed, "Admiral Hackett sir," she said smartly before adding, "it's not commander I'm retired…forcibly," she smiled though it was a brittle one.

The Admiral's age face shifted into a mask of displeasure, "Yes I heard about that," the frown deepened even more to Shepard's amazement, "the ambassador has no business involving himself in military affairs. I can get you your commission back if you want," the Fleet Admiral finished.

Shepard mulled over the Admiral's question deciding whether or not to accept his offer. After a few long seconds she shook her head, "No thank you sir," she said, "If I'm going to be a Spectre I don't think I should have any conflicting loyalties."

Hackett was silent for a few moments before saying with a sigh, "I respect your decision Shepard and I hope the Council realizes just how fine a soldier they're getting."

"Thank you Admiral," she said and she meant it. Hackett wasn't the type of man to give out praise unless it was well deserved.

"Get well sailor that's an order," he said with a slight smirk. Then the smirk faded from his lips as he said, "The Council wants to see you the moment you've recovered. They want to congratulate you personally… plus according to rumors they're talking about adding a human councilor and they want your opinion on who it should be."

Shepard tilted her head and arched an eyebrow, "Isn't that a decision for the President or the Parliament to make?"

Hackett titled his head, "Yes but at this point as the woman who led the team that saved the Citadel your recommendation will carry a lot of weight."

"Who's in the running?"

The aged admiral stroked his chin apparently deep in thought for a moment befoe he finally answered, "Several Senators, Orlan, Marks, Cho to name a few. Ambassador Udina definitely," he finished with a scowl.

Shepard noted each of the names. Orlan was the head of the Intelligence Oversight Committee, Marks was the Majority Leader in Parliament and Cho was a member of the Military Oversight Committee. And then there was of course Ambassador Udina who stabbed her in the back and nearly cost everyone everything.

"Thank you for the heads up Admiral," she said settling back into the fairly comfortable hospital bed as a fresh round of aches shot through her body.

The Admiral nodded, "Heal up Shepard," he turned to acknowledge Garrus, "you too Vakarian," and with that Hackett turned and left the room leaving her and Garrus alone again.

XXX

Two days later in the franticly repaired Grand Hall Lieutenant Commander Adam Lee, the rest of the surviving members of his squadron, Admiral Hackett, the other high ranking members of the Fifth Fleet and members of the combined as the three Citadel Councilors thanked them for their service in their defense and in the defense of the Citadel.

Lee stood at ease with his pilots as the asari councilor spoke at length about gratitude and the debt that was owed to the brave souls who fought had died just a few days ago. Lee tried to focus on the speech , but his concentration was interrupted when his XO whispered from his side, "Whose the team up with Hackett?"

The fighter pilot glanced over to where the Admiral was standing and saw what his XO was talking about. There were two humans, one a blonde woman in a wheelchair, a turian on crutches, a asari and a quarian.

"The woman is Shepard ," Lee ventured. He'd never meet humanities first Spectre. He'd never even seen her before that short extranet interview and from this angle he couldn't be absolutely positive. But it made sense if that was her and that the team she lead to hunt Saren.

"Really… the Spectre," the XO said taking another look at the blonde woman wearing a military style but not quite military suit, "Damn… do you really think she's screwing the turian?"

"Not our business eltee," he said nudging the man in the side, "besides she's a Spectre and the last thing I'd want is to piss one of them off."

"Yeaaaah," he side with a smirk, "what a lucky SOB."

The naval aviator didn't exactly disagree with that comment, but still it could wait for later. The Grand Hall of the Citadel wasn't the best place for this conversation, "Eyes front Jimmy."

"Aye aye."

Returning his attention to the Councilor he listened as she continued her speech. Somehow all the pretty words and even the promise of seat on the Citadel Council in his opinion didn't make up for all the dead men and women. It didn't end the war either. The geth were still out there and unless that attack had been their entire fleet, which he doubted, they were still in for a long bitter war.

**Thanks for sticking with me through all this. I have a plan for another fanfic to jump off from this one but I'm not going to do it for a while. My next fic is going to be a Dragon Age fanfic.**


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